Ine is a charming fishing village located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in northern Kyoto Prefecture. It is renowned for its unique wooden boathouses, known as "Funaya," which translates literally to “boat house” in Japanese. Around 230 Funaya line the coast of Ine Bay, stretching for five kilometers. Each boathouse has two levels: the first floor is used for storing fishing boats and gear, providing direct access to the sea. This design makes the boathouses appear as though they are floating, as the first floor is almost flush with the waterline. The second floor contains a living area and is connected to the main house, providing access to the road. These distinctive houses have been around for over 300 years and offer picturesque views throughout the seasons. From cherry blossoms in spring to snow-covered roofs in winter, the Funaya of Ine Bay is a must-see destination for anyone looking to experience the beauty of traditional Japanese architecture by the sea.
Take a sightseeing cruise to admire the beautiful seascape of Amanohashidate. As soon as the ferry departs, flocks of seagulls will follow, eager for food, making for a fun, engaging experience. You will have the chance to interact closely with the seagulls. Feeding them is a delightful activity, you can buy food for them, and they will even take it from your hand.
The name “Amanohashidate” means “bridge to the heavens,” and was named for its shape. It appears to be a pathway connecting heaven and earth when viewed from the mountains that rise above it on either side. This stunning scene of Amanohashidatehas has been admired for centuries and is recognized as one of the "Three Most Famous Views in Japan." Take a Chairlift or Monorail and ascend to the Hiryukan-kairo Observatory for a panoramic view of Amanohashidate. From this vantage point, the sandbar appears like a dragon flying up to heaven. The traditional way to view the sandbar is to turn your back towards the bay, bend over and look at it from between your legs, it looks like a bridge to heaven. This position is known in Japanese as “Matanozoki.” The ticket price for Amanohashidate View Land is 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children. This fee includes round-trip access to the lift and the monorail, which take visitors to the observation deck.
Chionji Temple is located at the southern entrance of the Amanohashidate Sandbar. The temple houses one of Japan's "Three Important Statues of Monju Bosatsu," who is the Buddhist god of wisdom and intellect. As a result, students and visitors often come to the temple to pray for wisdom and for success in their academic and personal lives. They purchase special fortunes (omikuji) shaped like folding fans, which many people hang from the pine trees around the temple grounds. Other important structures around the temple are a large entrance gate and a two-story tahoto style pagoda, which was built in the 1500s and is the oldest structure on the temple grounds. The temple gate facing Chaya Street is registered as Cultural Property of City and is the biggest temple gate in the Tango area.
Rotating bridge, this unusual bridge turns 90 degrees when ships pass through the waterway and connects the Amanohashidate landbridge and the Monju area. The original bridge was built in 1923 and operated manually; however, it was converted to electric operation in May 1960 due to an increase in the number of ships using the waterway.
Miyama's Kayabuki-no-Sato is located on a hilly slope and is renowned for its traditional thatched-roof houses, built in the 19th century. The roofs of these houses are covered with layers of thick thatch, arranged in a steep herringbone pattern that resembles hands clasped in prayer. This design is not only aesthetically pleasing but also reflects the wisdom of ancient builders: it can withstand heavy snow during harsh winters and has effective drainage characteristics. As a result, these houses remain warm in winter and cool in summer. In 1993, Kayabuki-no-Sato was designated as a Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, recognizing the exceptional preservation of its historical landscape. The Miyama Folk Museum is located within the picturesque thatched-roof village of Miyama. Please note that the Miyama Folk Museum is closed on Mondays, and admission is 300 yen. If you prepare to visit, please ensure you bring the appropriate cash for entry.
Amazing experience on this trip. Visited 3 beautiful destinations. The tour guide, Rex was very cooperative, patient, knowledgeable and friendly. He suggested the photoshoot spots, the restaurants and speciality of each destination.
Very good tour guide and knowledgeable CC. Had a great experience!!!
This tour was well worth the reservation. The trip was not rushed except for the first part because some attendees were late but all the places visited were beautiful. Our tour guide gave sufficient instructions for us to be able to enjoy and navigate by ourselves. Also the way it was organized you won’t get tired wven if it takes the whole day. Highly recommended!
Excellent trip and great tour guide!!
V good excellent time spent full day excursion value for money
Worth the money, the bus very comfy.
Fun experience, experienced what i have to experience. Just the schedule is tight and need to be fast.
Amazing tour and experience!!!
Loved the day trip, very beautiful scenery
Had an amazing day tour with our guide CC!
This is a large tour, one bus full. The guide explains the destination, organizes, and keeps tourists timely and on track. The sits we visited were very picturesque. It was a good chance to see the mountains and the other side of the Japanese island. Loved the chairlift!
Long bus rides at least 2 hours if i had known it was going to be that long i might have reconsidered but good excursions
Lee was the perfect guide for our large group. He imparted interesting information, was highly organized, and had a great sense of humor.
Our tour guide Charlie was fantastic throughout the day, and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Take the monorail up to the top & the chairlift back down because the queues are shorter that way around.
The trip was well organised. Enough time to explore the places and good description was provided. Clytie was helpful and guided us throughout the trip.
What a wonderful day trip Amanda our guide was so friendly and informative. We had a wonderful day out. Sights were just stunning and the chair lift was fun.
Very good experience. The guide is friendly, the places beautiful. Enough time to see and try everything
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazing Tour Guide – Highly Recommend Amy! Amy was absolutely wonderful! She took us to the Bamboo Forest, Nara Park where we got to feed the deer, and Fushimi Inari Taisha, and she made the entire experience incredibly enjoyable and memorable. From the beginning, Amy was kind, warm, professional, funny, attentive, and extremely knowledgeable. She did an amazing job explaining the places we visited while keeping everything relaxed, fun, and engaging. You can tell that she genuinely cares about the people she guides and wants them to have the best experience possible. Amy is honestly the kind of tour guide that other guides could look to as an example of how the job should be done. Her combination of knowledge, professionalism, kindness, and personality really made the day special. When I come back to Japan with my family, I will definitely be asking for Amy to be our guide again. I would love for my family to have the same wonderful experience that I had. Thank you, Amy, for such an amazing and unforgettable day! Highly recommended! 🇯🇵
It’s a wonderful day trip, we had a great time due to it has very picturesque beautiful views! Steven (the tour guide) is wonderful his very knowledgeable and explains everything very well each place we visited. It passes thru beautiful lakes, mountains filled up with huge pine trees and everything is so green. We had time to even go for a dip at the beach which was very pretty and refreshing! I highly recommend this tour and hopefully you’ll get Steven!! 💞 (Texas/U.S.A)
Fantastic trip - beautiful places 👌👍🏼everything was well organized - sweet lovely guide 👌🙏Lone & Lars🇩🇰
Great itinerary and guide, a thoughtful guided tour, bilingual service, helping with photos, tour explanations, friendly and considerate, full of enthusiasm, highly recommended itinerary
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