Ine Travel Guide : Kyoto’s Hidden Fishing Village
Kyoto may shine with its golden temples and geisha districts, but sometimes you just want something quieter. Enter Ine: a ridiculously picturesque fishing village a few hours north of the city. The big draw here are the funayas, the traditional boat houses that sit right on the water. Half garage, half home, and completely unique, you won’t find many of them outside this corner of Japan.
A lot of people think Kyoto has more than enough tradition already for the Japan Itinerary. But honestly, if you’ve got even one day to spare, it’s worth the trip. The best thing to do? Pretty much nothing. Just sit by the water and watch the boats slide out at dawn.
You can do it as a day trip, but if you stay overnight, it’s even better. Sleeping in one of the boat houses and waking up with the sea right outside your window was one of my favorite experiences in Japan.
key takeaways
- The official name of this little fishing village is Ine no Funaya.
- The best way to really enjoy Ine is to spend the night in a funaya, one of the village’s old boat houses.
- To reach this beautiful fishing village from Kyoto, you’ll need about 2-3 hours by train and bus. The trip takes you north, passing through Amanohashidate along the way.
Jump to
Why is Ine famous?
Ine is a small fishing village in northern Kyoto, with just under 2,000 people, yet it’s famous well beyond its size.
The main attraction here are the funayas. These wooden boathouses built right on the water, lining the curve of Ine Bay in a way that feels almost picture-perfect. Sitting between the mountains and the sea, the town seems remote today, but centuries ago it was part of a busy trade route that linked Mainland China to Kyoto. The village has also been feature in Japanese movies and is popular in part for that reason with the locals.
Fishing is still at the heart of daily life, and with its calm rhythm and simple Japanese charm, Ine lets us look, if only shortly, in a tradition that has lasted for generations.
How to Get to Ine
Ine is a tiny fishing village curled around a calm bay in northern Kyoto Prefecture, about 15 kilometers above Amanohashidate. It feels a bit out of the way, which is exactly the charm.
You can rush through on a day tour if you like, but you’ll only scratch the surface. The best way to experience the town is to linger for a bit. Spend a day, or better yet stay the night, and let the still water and weathered wooden houses do their quiet work on you.
From Kyoto: Day trip to Amanohashidate and Ine Bay
Taking the Kyoto Tango Kuro-Matsu and the Bus
Getting to Ine by public transport isn’t exactly quick, but it’s straightforward. Count on about three hours from Kyoto.
From Kyoto Station you jump on the JR Hashidate Limited Express to Amanohashidate, and from there a local bus takes you the last hour into the town of Ine. The buses run roughly once an hour, so check the schedule if you don’t want to hang around too long. but the good news is there’s only one, so you can’t really go wrong.
Since you’ll be passing Amanohashidate on the way, it makes sense to plan a stop. The famous sandbar is one of Japan’s more unique sights, and walking it feels like one of those typically Japanese experience that locals also love to do.
By Car
Getting to Ine by car is possible, but I wouldn’t really recommend it. Yhis is Japan, after all, and public transport usually makes more sense! Still, driving does save you time. It takes about two hours from Kyoto, which is almost an hour faster than going by bus and train. If you’d rather not deal with the drive yourself, joining a tour might be the easier option.
What to See and Do in Ine
The funaya boathouses lining the bay make Ine one of the most unique fishing villages in Japan. The village is actually quite vast, and walking from one end to the other can take around 1–2 hours by foot.
See the Funayas (the Boathouses of Ine)
In Ine, the sea is everything, and it shows in the funaya hugging the bay for nearly five kilometres. Around 230 of them are still standing, and they’re clever little structures: downstairs is a garage for boats, while upstairs is the real home of the people living in Ine. With their windows that open straight onto the water, it’s part dock, part home, and all charm.
The whole village runs at a gentler pace too. By late afternoon, most shops and cafés have closed their doors, leaving the streets almost empty safe for the few tourists. Instead of feeling abandoned, though, Ine just leans gently into the quiet.
Tour the Ine Bay by Boat
One of the nicest ways to enjoy Ine is by going out on the water. The village streets and wooden funaya are lovely to see on foot, but it’s from the bay you really get the full picture of the Ine fishing village. You can hop on the larger sightseeing boat, which runs every 30 minutes for a short 25-minute ride and doesn’t need any booking. The terminal is just a five-minute walk from the bus stop.
If you prefer something smaller and an experience that’s a little bit more personnalized, you can reserve a sea taxi through the tourism office at Funaya no Sato Park (Google Maps). Either way you’ll be gliding right past those wooden boathouses with the mountains rising behind them.
Going to Funaya no Sato Park (the Observation Deck)
Perched on a hill above Ine, Funaya no Sato Park is where you’ll find the town’s best viewpoint. The observation deck looks out over the bay, and it’s especially beautiful at sunset. There’s a parking lot if you’re driving, along with a couple of restaurants and small shops nearby. If you’d rather walk, it’s an easy climb from the village, about 20 minutes from the area near the cafés.
From Osaka: Amanohashidate and Ine Bay Day Trip
Spending the Night In a Funaya
Spending the night in a funaya, those wooden boathouses lined up along Ine’s bay, was that one of a kind experience you expect form Japan. Only a few of them have been turned into minshuku (guest houses), which makes scoring a spot in the Funayas tricky, especially if you’re not local.
Inside, the rooms are set upstairs, giving you the perfect view of fishing boats gliding by right outside your window. Being rooted in real tradition makes the stay feel so much warmer than a regular hotel. Stays usually include two meals, often built around the freshest catch of the day, and some guest houses even offer an onsen bath. We had dinner at Funaya Kajiya (Google Maps), though many people say breakfast is the star there, and every bite tasted straight from the sea.
My only mistake? Booking just one night. Once you settle into that house on the water, you’ll wish you had a little more time. Reservation usually open about 5 months in advance. I suggest checking the website often to get the Funaya you want!
| TYPE | ACCOMMODATION | PRICE |
| Luxury | Funaya Kura | From ¥ 62.0K / night |
| Luxury | Funaya Raku | From ¥ 44.0K / night |
| Luxury | Funayado Ichi | From ¥ 48.3K / night |
| Luxury | Ebisuya Chitose | From ¥ 45.5K / night |
| Luxury | Boathouse Inn Kagiya Annex Ofukuwake | From ¥ 34.5K / night |
Read more
Japan Travel Guide · Ueno Travel Guide
