 Image search results - "funaya" |
On the east coast of Tango Peninsula in northern Kyoto Prefecture is Ine, a picturesque fishing village right on the water's edge. Unique for the built-in funaya "boat garages" (舟屋) where waterfront homes keep a boat next to the water. This village is designated as a National Important Traditional Townscape Preservation District (重要伝統的建造物 群保存地区) and Japan's first fishing village to be so designated.("Funaya" means boat house.)
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Ine is kind of out of the way to visit, but well worth the trip.
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Ine has been used as a backdrop in Japanese movies (like Tora-san in movie No. 29 and Tsuribaka Nisshi in movie No. 5).
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About Ine's Important Traditional Townscape Preservation District.
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A great way to see Ine is by boat (called "sea taxi"). Small boats offer 30-min tours for only ¥1,000 per person. This boat was the "Kameshima Maru" (亀島丸) operated by Toshikazu Yamada. He pointed out the boat houses and locationThere's no cruise schedule so you can just call and set a time for a cruise. There must be at least two people for a cruise to depart. http://kameshimamaru.server-shared.com/index.html
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Phone No. for Mr. Yamada's Kameshima Maru boat cruises in Ine.
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Phone No. for Mr. Yamada's Kameshima Maru boat cruises in Ine. This is at the boat dock.Map (Kameshima Maru boat dock): https://goo.gl/maps/9zmSW4Nun4P2
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Seagulls expect to be fed by boat tourists. We even got free bird food. But I feared the droppings on me or my cameras. Luckily I came out clean.
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Ine in northern Kyoto Prefecture has 230 funaya boat houses on the waterfront stretching for about 5 km.
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Some of the funaya offer lodging where you can stay above the boat garage. They get booked up quickly though. They let you go fishing by boat or from shore.
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You may think these homes in Ine are sitting ducks for high waves, typhoons, high tides, etc. But they are in a sheltered bay facing south, away from the Sea of Japan. Mountains shield the bay on three sides and a small island (Aoshima) on the bay's entrance acts like a breakwater. Ine Bay is largely untouched by the rough seas of the Sea of Japan and the water is very calm. Also, the ocean tide varies by only 50 cm at most. See Ine's location here: https://goo.gl/maps/sXVERESwvMT2
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This used to be a cruise boat dock. Used in a Tora-san movie with Ishida Ayumi.
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The Ine waterfront has looked like this since the 1930s when they reclaimed some of the coastline and fishermen rebuilt their homes right over the water.
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These boat houses are usually used as a second house for retired grandparents or for a young married couple who want some privacy (especially at night). Or it can be used as a workplace, a guesthouse, or paid lodging.
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Aoshima is the small island at the Ine Bay's entrance acting as a breakwater. There's an Ebisu Shrine on the island. Only fishermen are allowed on the island.
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Ine from afar.
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These funaya are the oldest in Ine, dating back to the Edo Period.
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This boat house was used in Tora-san movie No. 29 with Ishida Ayumi and Atsumi Kiyoshi. Looks the same.
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The 30-min. boat cruise gave us our fill of many photos of these funaya.
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A few new buildings have also been built for tourists.
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Coastal road in Ine.
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We also had a guided walking tour of Ine village. Behind the funaya boat houses is this narrow coastal road and another row of homes across the road on the left at the foot of the hills. The homes along the left are the main homes where the fishermen's family live. And their funaya boat houses are right across the road on the right.
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This is the boathouse of Mr. and Mrs. Toshikazu Yamada (山田 敏和), a very friendly fishermen couple who runs Ine boat cruises and work as fishermen.This is what a funaya boat house looks like from the road. First there is a normal car garage. The boat house is not that big.
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Enter the car garage and walk toward the back to see another room.
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In the back of the car garage is the boat garage on the water's edge. The small fishing boat is hoisted and secured by a power winch. Above the boat is just storage space (not another room). The family uses the boat to catch fish for themselves.
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These boat garages were originally built to protect the boat from the elements. In the old days, boats were made of wood. They did not have a waterproof deck like modern boats do today. So the boat garage protected the boat from rain, etc.
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The boat was also hoisted to dry in the garage. Since seawater tended to rot wood, drying the boat when not in use would make the boat last longer.
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I asked about the recent typhoons that hit this area. Mrs. Yamada said that the secured boat shook a lot, but no damage.
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Looking out from the boat garage.
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Mrs. Yamada also keeps fish in a net under their small dock. I asked what kind of fish, and she caught two to show us.
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They were Redspotted Grouper (アコウ、キジハタ), a valuable fish delicious as sashimi. They are feeding these fish until they get big enough for eating.
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Roof tile ornament of Ebisu, god of fishing.
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Small waterfront Ineura Park (伊根浦公園) on Ine Bay.
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Ineura Park (伊根浦公園) on Ine Bay.
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