What Are the Ine Funaya Boathouses, in a Working Fishing Village?
This guide is for visitors who want to know what the funaya of Ine are before they go. It uses the English page about funaya on the Ine Tourist Information site, two other pages of that site, and three English pages of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). All pages were read on 2026-10-04.
The sources describe the village in general terms and give few opening hours or prices. This guide does not invent any.
The short answer
Funaya are wooden boathouses built on the water. Surrounding the coast of Ine Bay there are about 230 of them, according to the Ine tourist association, and JNTO agrees, saying around 230 funaya remain today, stretching along five kilometers of the coastline. The tourist association stresses that they are not a museum: it says Ine Funaya is not a historic site but a living place for fishermen and residents.
How a funaya is built
The Ine tourist association explains why they exist. Funaya were originally constructed to lift fishermen's wooden boats from the sea, to protect them from rain, insects and rot. The first floor housed a fisherman's boat, and the second floor was for storing fishing gear such as nets made from hemp. In the past the second floor was less sturdy than it is now, because the floor was made of simple wooden boards. JNTO describes them as wooden buildings that sit right on the water and serve as both dock and home for the fishermen, with the boats on the first floor and the dwelling area on the second.
The two descriptions differ a little. The association says the funaya were mainly storage, while JNTO says the second floor is a dwelling area. The association explains why: fishermen usually had a main family house where they lived, and the top floor of a funaya can sometimes house a family's adult children or grandparents. So both are partly true.
What the ground floor is used for today
The association says that nowadays almost all boats are made from fiber reinforced plastics and are much bigger than traditional wooden boats, so local people moor their boats in front of the funaya rather than inside them. Some residents have smaller fishing boats, which you can still see stored inside. The bottom floor can also be used to cook, to hang fish or squid to dry, to hang laundry, or simply to enjoy the sea life swimming just below.
Who lives there
People often ask whether anyone lives in the funaya. The association's answer is that not many families live in them, for the reason above. It says the main house opposite the funaya is also private property.
The village behind the boathouses
JNTO says Ine is a small town of about 1,900 people, tucked tightly between the mountains and Ine Bay. The association gives about 1,800, the second smallest population in Kyoto Prefecture. It says residents make a living mainly in the fishing and agricultural industry. JNTO adds that in ancient times the area was along the trade route from mainland China to Kyoto, so Ine developed as a town dedicated to the fishing industry, and it describes it as thought to be one of the most picturesque villages in Japan.
A JNTO traveler's blog calls Ine the Venice of Japan and says the village was the scene of the legend of Urashima Taro, the fisherman who was rewarded with long life and a visit to the Dragon Palace under the sea for saving a little turtle. The blog also says Ine is the lesser-known neighbor of the Amanohashidate sandbar. It recommends local seafood and names lunch sets in a range of 2,000 to 3,000 yen at a sushi restaurant. That price comes from the blog and is not dated, so treat it as a rough guide.
Seeing the funaya as a visitor
The tourist association says the traditional charm of the funaya is retained, and that this is why they have lasted beside the bay. It recommends strolling around the funaya area and feeling the charm. A JNTO traveler's blog says that for a panorama, a rest stop lies just before the village, and JNTO says the funaya can also be seen from the water on boat tours. The guide to visiting Ine covers the manners that go with it.
A few of the funaya are guest houses. JNTO says a few are minshuku providing an authentic peek into a fisherman's life today. Guest houses usually include two meals, one offers an onsen bath, and all offer guided sea taxi service and fishing. The association adds that funaya inns facing the sea are almost always fully booked three months ahead.
What we could not verify, and therefore left out
- Whether the funaya area has a formal heritage designation. The pages we read do not say, and the association describes it as a living place, not a historic site.
- The exact number of funaya today. The sources say about 230 or around 230.
- Prices of lunch, boat tours and lodging this year.
- Which individual funaya, if any, can be visited inside.
Related guides
- How Do You Get to Ine Funaya Village From Kyoto and Get Around?
- What Should You Know Before Visiting Ine? Manners, Boat Tours and Lodging
Sources
All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.
- About Funaya (Ine Tourist Information) — (about 230, construction, ground floor today, who lives there)
- To Ine's visitors (Ine Tourist Information) — (not a historic site, population, private property)
- Accommodation (Ine Tourist Information) — (booked three months ahead)
- Ine Fishing Village (JNTO) — (230 funaya, five kilometers, dock and home, trade route, guest houses)
- Main Attractions of Seaside Village Ine No Funaya (JNTO traveler's blog) — (Venice of Japan, Urashima Taro, lunch sets)