Konnichiwa from Amanohashidate (天橋立)! ❤If there is one place you should visit in the greater area of Kyoto, it would be Amanohashidate.
Amanohashidate is famous for being one of Japan’s Three Most Scenic Spots. It is a beak-shaped sandbar formed by accumulated sand brought in by the ocean currents, and an unique landform with approximately 6,700 pine trees grown densely along the sandbar that stretches about 3.6 km long. Whereas Ine is popular for its wooden boathouses which has been well-preserved since the Edo period (1603 to 1868).
The duo, or better known as "Kyoto by the Sea", has been gaining increasing popularity in the recent years, because it gives a whole different experience from the ancient Kyoto without having to travel far from Kyoto.
People usually go for a one-day trip in Amanohashidate and Ine but I would strongly recommend spending at least a 2D1N here because there is just so much to explore. As I am an avid lover of the sea, mountain and rural areas of Japan, I spent a 3D2N night here. Check out my itinerary below:
Amanohashidate and Ine 3D2N itinerary
Day 1 - Amanohashidate town
❤ Travel from Kyoto to Amanohashidate by train
❤ Hashidatedaimaru Honten
❤ Amanohashidate Sightseeing Boat
❤ Motoise Kono Jinja Shrine
❤ Kasamatsu Park Matanozoki by cable car / chair lift
❤ Amanohashidate Winery
❤ Chionji Temple
❤ Tea break at Hikobei Chaya
❤ Dinner at Oda Sushi
Day 2 - Ine no Funaya
❤ Breakfast at hotel
❤ Ine Bay Sightseeing Boat (Inewan Meguri Hide)
❤ Vantage point at Michi-no-Eki Funaya no Sato Ine
❤ Lunch at Funaya Shokudo
❤ Murai Sake Brewery
❤ Ine Post Office
❤ Tea break at Ine Cafe
Day 3 - Amanohashidate View Land
❤ Breakfast at hotel
❤ Amanohashidate View Land by cable car / chair lift
❤ Cafe Du Pin
❤ Depart to Kyoto by bus
Tango Ao-matsu Railway (Sightseeing railway)
How to get there - I took the sightseeing route in which I first hopped onto the Tokaido Sanyo Line from Kyoto to Nishi-Maizuru (¥4,170), then changed to the sightseeing Kyoto Tango Railway (Tantetsu Miyamai-Miyatoyo Line) to Amanohashidate (¥650).
The journey was around 3 hours in total, but totally worth the time and money as the relaxing train ride was a beautiful showcase of the enchanting contrast of the village, the sky and the ocean.
Travel tips - Remember to get the Amanohashidate-Ine 2-day Pass which covers most of the attractions in this area (¥3,500) if you plan to stay overnight here.
Amanohashidate Hotel
Accommodation - For my 3D2N accommodation, I opted for the Amanohashidate Hotel which is located directly opposite the Amanohashidate train station (within 3 minutes walking distance).
There are two public onsen and one foot bath in the hotel - Sun and Moon themed open-air bath - which alternates between male and female everyday. I enjoyed both of them especially when dipping in the hot spring water while enjoying the magnificent mountain backdrop.
Travel tips - If you are on a tight budget, try the sister hotel next door, Auberge Amanohashidate which allows you to gain the same access of public onsen in the main hotel.
Asari Don (¥930) @ Hashidatedaimaru Honten
Food - The must-try local food in Amanohashidate is the clam rice bowl which usually comes in generous amount of clam broth, exuding the fine umami taste. The version I had came together with egg, which elevated the aroma of the dish. Delicious!
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Day 1 - Amanohashidate Town
Amanohashidate Sightseeing Boat
After lunch, the first activity to try on was the sightseeing boat which brought me from Amanohashidate boat dock to Miyazu boat dock. It was a peaceful and scenic ride across the calming blue water.
Miyazu Boat Dock
Motoise Kono Jinja Shrine
Just a brief 5 minutes walk from the Miyazu boat dock, I arrived at the most important shrine of the Tango Region in northern Kyoto Prefecture historically. Motoise Kono Shrine is an old shrine that has a strong affinity with the famous Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture.
The picture on the right is called the Nagoshi no Harae (夏越の祓), "Infinity ring in the temple" which is used for the ancient summer ritual, "the Purification Ritual of Summer's Passing", allowing people to cleanse themselves of misdeeds committed in the first half of the year and to pray for the latter half yet to come. Interesting!
Kasamatsu Park
The next sightseeing spot was the Kasamatsu Park, an observatory where you can overlook Amanohashidate. The park is famous as the birthplace of the "Matanozoki" tradition - when you turn your back to Amanohashidate and bend over to view the amazing landform from between your legs, it looks like a bridge to heaven. This position is called “Matanozoki” in Japanese.
Kasabo, the pinecone mascot of Kasamatsu Park
I also got to meet the cute pinecone mascot character, Kasabo and grabbed a picture with him! The only way to reach Kasamatsu Park is via cable car or chair lift, but honestly the view is not as great as the Amanohashidate View Land (see below).
You can also take a bus (¥400) from Kasamatsu Station to Nariai-ji Temple (成相寺) atop the mountain, but I decided to skip this given the time constraint of my schedule.
Amanohashidate Winery
There are many other little attractions in town, such as the local Tango winery which produces Tango wine from grapes grown and picked in the vineyard. It is a nice pitstop to check out the art gallery, wine production process and the products in-store such as white, rosé and red wine.
Chionji Temple
On the way back to the hotel, I came across the Chionji Temple (智恩寺), a temple which houses one of Japan's "Three Important Statues of Monju Bosatsu", the Buddhist god of wisdom and intellect. Students often visit this temple to pray for academic and personal success.
Look at the special folding fan-shaped fortunes ("omikuji") hanging on the pine trees around the temple grounds! It is a pretty rare sight among the Japanese shrines I have been thus far.
Trio Mochi Set (¥500) @ Hikobei Chaya
Amanohashidate is also famous for the 4 mochi shops in front of the gates of Chionji Temple, which sell the blessed Chie-no-mochi (bite sized soft rice cakes with sweet bean paste), a specialty of Amanohashidate which is said to bring wisdom.
I ordered a set of three mochi in Hikobei Chaya, which came in 3 flavours (Walnut, black sesame, red bean) - definitely a perfect sweet ending for the peaceful afternoon!
Juesushimaki (¥972) @ Oda Sushi
By 5pm, most tourists had already left the town as most of them were day trippers. Hence, dinner options in Amanohashidate were really limited. Even the only convenient store in town did not operate everyday. Luckily, I found a rare 6-seater sushi shop and ordered a Juesushimaki takeaway so that I could enjoy in the hotel after my evening onsen dip.
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Day 2 - Ine no Funaya
Breakfast at Amanohashidate Hotel
Rise and shine! I went to the patio for the hotel buffet breakfast (included in the room package), and I was totally blown by the picturesque view of the sea and mountain.
Enjoying a peaceful Japanese-style breakfast with gentle winds brushing through my hair while admiring the nature's beauty was indescribably blissful. Thank you God for blessing me with such a blissful moment :)
Ine Bay Sightseeing Boat (Inewan Meguri Hide)
From the hotel, I took a public bus to Ine-wan-meguri Hide (¥400 for a 50 minutes ride) to hop on the Ine Bay Sightseeing Boat. I was really excited to spend my day in Ine because of the beautifully preserved boathouses lining the sea and the glistening blue sea view throughout the entire bus journey!
Funaya boathouses view from the sea
Look at those seagulls during the boat ride!
The scenic boat tour took a good 25 minutes around Ine Bay so that tourists can see the unique funaya (boat houses) from the best viewpoint i.e. from the water. You can purchase some shrimp crackers there to feed the seagulls but be careful of the soaring eagles! If you are lucky, you may get to spot the dolphins too.
I truly immersed myself into such serene atmosphere throughout the tour. Amazing experience!
A typical abandoned "Funaya" | Murai Sake Brewery
This fishing village has approximately 230 funaya, wooden boathouses, lining up for five kilometers along Ine Bay. While it is advisable to rent a bike or scooter here, I decided to take a slow stroll along the scenic boathouses and admire the beauty of this village.
Then I stumbled upon an empty boathouse, which clearly showed the structural built and design, as well as the Murai Sake Brewery located inside a very small funaya house. Pretty interesting and it sells Amazake too.
Seafood Set (¥1,800) @ Funaya Shokudo
Nothing is better than having the freshest seafood in a fishing village. I was in Funaya Shokudo for lunch, and they served a massive seafood set on a wooden boat - so apt! Not only that the assorted seafood was juicy sweet and fresh, the restaurant offered a million dollar view of the boathouses too. It was one of the best experiences I had in Kyoto so far!
Vantage point at Michi-no-Eki Funaya no Sato Ine
Just a stone throw away from the restaurant, there is a very popular vantage point if you love to enjoy the picturesque view of the boathouses or sit by the water and enjoy fishing. I was, again, elated as the sight of the funaya sitting on the ocean was incredibly beautiful and awe-inspiring.
Iced Matcha Latte (¥550) @ Ine Cafe
After a long walk, I finally arrived at the popular Ine Cafe - a simple, elegant cafe overlooking Ine Bay, serving up cakes, waffles and ice creams. Every nook and corner of the cafe is very Instagram-worthy! Remember to take more photos before you leave.
My most favourite shot of the trip.
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Day 3 - Amanohashidate View Land
Amanohashidate View Land
On the third day, I spent my first half of the day in Amanohashidate View Land before heading back to Kyoto in noon. Little did I know, this is actually the number one must-visit attraction among the rest in Amanohashidate!
Take a cable car or chair lift ride (¥850 round trip) up to this amusement park located on top of Mount Monju that offers spectacular views of the sandbar.
- It is advisable to take the cable car uphill and chair lift downhill so that you can enjoy the sea view in both directions.
The magnificent scenery is called "Shoryukan", meaning a dragon rising to the sky.
Hiryukan-kairo (Viewing sky path)
Here's the best spot for the dragon-imaged sky path, lined with white beautiful sandy beach and vivid green pines. Just walk through the spiral stairs for an unobstructed panoramic view.
Travel tips - If you come during winter morning, you can get to enjoy a dreamy snow scenery where the pine tree leaves are frosted with snow on top. When the sun rises, the snow will melt and you can no longer see them.
Note that the amusement park rides are subject to additional charges.
Cafe Du Pin
My last stop in Amanohashidate is Cafe Du Pin, in which "Pin" is the French word for pine, a resemblance of Amanohashidate’s lush pine forest spreading out across the bay windows. Overlooking the calm canal, the cafe is a relaxing space to watch boats passing by or watch the rare scene of rotating bridge.
Rotating Bridge (Kaisenkyo)
Built in 1923 and initially hand-operated, the rare rotating bridge that connects the mainland to Amanohashidate rotates 90 degrees every time a ship passes through the waterway and connects the Amanohashidate landbridge and the Monju area. This unusual scene can be seen from the cafe.
There is even a personnel standing on the bridge to give instructions to pedestrians when to stop and when to cross the bridge. Amazing sight to catch!
Chirimen (Silk crepe) postcard (¥350)
What to buy - The number one souvenir in Amanohashidate is the chirimen (silk crepe) goods such as bath towels, purses, bags, pin cushions, key chains, etc - available in various local souvenir shops. I got myself a beautiful Funaya postcard in silk crepe material. Lovin' the 3D texture on it!
If you are shopping for food souvenir, there are plenty of cooking ingredients / sauces / local produces available in-store. For convenience sake, I got two boxes of Black Bean Kintsuba, the traditional Japanese dessert made with black beans instead of azuki (red) beans. Proudly made locally!
Goodbye Amanohashidate and Ine; ❤ Thank you for the beautiful memories!
Travel tips - Purchase the expressway bus ticket earlier to secure a seat (Direct bus from Amanohashidate to Kyoto Station costs ¥3,200 for a 2 hours 10 minutes journey).
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If I were to visit Kyoto by the Sea again, I would probably choose winter season and experience the snow-clad boathouses in this charming fishing village on the coast of the Sea of Japan. Looking forward to visiting the "Venice of Japan" again!
Much love,
FiSh
09.06.2024 - 11.06.2024
