Ine Town, located at the northern end of the Tango Peninsula in northern Kyoto Prefecture, is famous for Funaya. The townscape of 230 Funaya along Ine Bay has been designated as a national preservation district for groups of traditional buildings. The first floor is a boat garage which look like they are floating on the sea. Why don’t you actually go and see the sights that can only be seen in Ine? In this article, we’ll introduce you Funaya in Ine.
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About Funaya in Ine
There are 230 funayas in Ine that surround the inlet of Ine Bay. The appearance of lining up with the gable side facing the water’s edge makes you feel nostalgic. Funaya is a facility for pulling a boat out of the sea and protecting it from the elements. Older ships were made of wood and had to be dried to prevent deterioration. Funaya is said to have started when a thatched hut large enough to accommodate a boat was built. It is said that the two-story tiled roof as it is today was built between the Meiji and early Showa eras.
Ine Bay is one of the few inlets on the Sea of Japan side that faces south, and is surrounded by mountains to the east, west, and north. Aoshima Island at the entrance of the bay acts as a natural breakwater, the tides are low throughout the year, and the sea suddenly deepens, making it difficult for waves to form.
How to enjoy Funaya
When you visit Ine, you’ll want to take your time and look around the charming funayas. There are various ways to enjoy funaya, such as taking a walk around the area and looking at it from the sea. If you would like to go inside a funaya , why don’t you take a tour?
Enjoy the view from Ineura Park (伊根浦公園)
Ineura Park, located opposite the Ine Town Tourist Information Center, is an observation park facing Ine Bay. It’s a great location where you can see the funaya townscape up close, so if you want to see the funaya clusters, this is a spot you should definitely visit. There are also benches so you can sit back and enjoy the view of the sea and the funayas.
Overlooking Ine Bay from the observatory
Michi-no-Eki Funaya-no-Sato Ine (道の駅・舟屋の里 伊根), which is located on the prefectural road Ineko Line that connects to National Route 178, is located on a hill, so you can overlook Ine Bay from the observatory. It is a recommended spot to see the sight of boathouses lining the coastline.
“Restaurant Funaya” on the 2nd floor is a restaurant where you can eat fresh fish caught in Ine Bay such as sashimi, seafood rice bowls, and simmered dishes. You can enjoy seasonal seafood such as yellowtail sashimi and shabu-shabu from Ine Bay in winter, and rock oysters in summer. Dried fish and heshiko are sold on the 1st floor. After visiting the funaya of Ine from the observatory, how about enjoying some food and shopping?
- Address：459 Kameshima, Ine, Yoza District, Kyoto 626-0424
- TEL：0772-32-0680
- Hours：9:00〜17:00
- Closed：Tuesday
Ine Bay Tour Boat (伊根湾めぐり遊覧船)
If you take a tour boat, you can see the scenery of the boathouses lined up in Ine Bay from the sea side. Why don’t you enjoy the townscape with a different taste than the funaya seen from the land? The tour boat runs once every 30 minutes and takes about 25 minutes. You can also experience feeding the seagulls that flock to the pleasure boat, so if you are interested, let’s buy some food at the Hiji Station shop. It may be canceled depending on the weather, so please check the operation information on the official website on the day.
- Ine Bay Tour Boat
- Address：11 Hide, Ine, Yoza District, Kyoto 626-0425
- TEL：0772-32-0009
- Hours：9:00～16:00（Departs every hour at 00 and 30 min.）
- Fare：Adult 1000 yen | Child 500 yen（Please purchase a boarding ticket at the boarding point or tourist information center）
- Access：Get off at the bus stop “Inewan Meguri / Hiji”
- Required time：25 min.
- 公式サイト：https://www.inewan.com
Water Taxi
If you are using a tour boat with a small number of people, we recommend using a water taxi. For water taxi, a local boatman guides you around Ine Bay. While listening to an explanation about the history of Ine and the funaya, you can enjoy the view of the funaya from the sea. A small group of up to 5 people can board without a reservation on the day.
- Water Taxi
- Hours：9:00〜17:00
- Fare：Adult 1,000 yen
- Required time：30 min.
- Closed：不定休
- Official HP：https://www.ine-kankou.jp/view/seataxi
舟屋をめぐる体験ツアーに参加する
The tours are held throughout the year where you can fully experience the charm of Ine Town. If you join the tour, you can take a stroll through the townscape of Ine, visit the inside of the public funaya house, and see the mechanism called “Mondori”. Mondori is a type of fishing where fish husks are placed in baskets and placed in the sea. The secret to the popularity of this tour is the “Mondori,” which are large baskets filled with turban shells and fish when pulled up from a rope.
It’s a popular guided tour where you can experience life in a funaya house, so why not give it a try?
- The whole Ine experience with a funaya guide
- Season：Throughout the year（Except New year holidays）
- Schedule：【AM】10:15〜11:15【PM】13:00〜14:00
- Fare：Adult 1,800 Yen / Middle~High School Student 1,300 Yen / Elementary School Student Free（2,800 yen for one person）
- Inquiry：0772-32-0277（Ine Tourist Information）
- Official HP：https://www.ine-kankou.jp/active/marugotohirata
Visit 3 Funaya
Ine Funaya is privately owned and cannot be entered freely. However, there is also tour that allows you to see the inside of the funaya in three places, so if you want to go inside the funaya, why not give it a try? This tour has a plan that allows you to visit three funaya houses and compare the interior of the funaya and the scenery from the second floor. You can have a valuable experience of enjoying the same scenery as the people who live in everyday life.
Even though the farthest Funaya is about 5 minutes one way, it’s not too difficult to visit all three. If you want to experience both outside and inside of funaya house, give it a try!
- Tour of 3 Funaya houses
- Season：Irregular holidays
- Schedule：9:00〜16:00
- Meeting point ：Ine Tourist Information
- Fare：Adult 800 Yen / Children 400 Yen（水曜日は大人600円/小人300円）
- Inquiry：0772-32-0277（Inquiry）
Stay at Funaya
伊根には宿泊できる舟屋もありますので、舟屋を体験したい方には宿泊をおすすめします。舟屋の宿は1日1組限定が多いため、周りを気にせずゆっくりとした時間を過ごせます。モダンな室内にリノベーションされた舟屋の宿もあり、大人の旅にぴったりです。日常を忘れ、潮風や波の音に耳を傾けて過ごしてみてはいかがでしょうか。Ine also has a Funaya where you can stay, so if you want to some special experience, we recommend staying there. Many funaya inns are limited to one group per day, so you can spend a relaxing time without worrying about your surroundings. There is also a funaya-style inn that has been renovated into a modern room, which is perfect for an adult trip. Forget your daily life and spend your time listening to the sea breeze and the sound of the waves.
This article introduces recommended funaya where you can stay, so be sure to check it out.
ㅁIf you are staying overnight only, please use a nearby restaurant for dinner or breakfast. Some of the inns run by fishermen serve freshly caught fish, so you’ll be able to taste fresh seafood that you can’t usually eat. Also, since the sea is right in front of you, there are lodging facilities where you can go fishing. You will be able to fully experience Ine Town, where you can live closest to the sea in Japan. ㅁ
Access to Ine
Finally, let us introduce how to access Ine. There are no trains in Ine, so please use a car or a local bus. By car, it takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes from Osaka and about 2 hours from Kyoto. From Osaka or Kyoto, it takes about 30 minutes from Yosa Amanohashidate IC via R176/R178. Since the opening of the Kyoto Jukan Expressway, access by car has become very convenient.
When you use a route bus, please use the route bus from Kyoto Tango Railway “Amanohashidate Station” or “Miyazu Station”. The destination is either “Kyogamisaki”, “Kamairi” or “Ine Post Office”. It takes about 60 minutes from Amanohashidate Station to Ine, and about 65 minutes from Miyazu Station to Ine.
Summary
The highlight of Ine is definitely the funaya. Enjoy the beautiful scenery of Ine no Funaya by strolling, viewing from the observatory or from the sea. Most of the funaya in Ine are on private property and cannot be entered. If you want to see the inside of the funaya house, we recommend taking a guided tour. You can see the inside of a funaya house that you can’t usually see, so please use the experience plan when you visit Ine.
