A day trip from Tokyo to Amanohashidate and Ine's Funaya houses
Amanohashidate + Ine Funaya Tour
The itinerary is roughly as follows.
07:15 Meeting point
07:30 Departure from Osaka Dotonbori Kani Douraku East Entrance
09:00 Departure from Kyoto Station Hachijoguchi Tourist Station
Transfer to Amanohashidate by bus (about 2 hours 50 minutes)
10:20 Amanohashidate (about 2 hours 20 minutes)
12:40 · Transfer
Transfer to Ine Funaya by bus (about 50 minutes)
13:30 Ine Funaya about 1 hour 30 minutes
15:00 Departure
17:30 Kyoto Station Hachijoguchi bus
18:30 In front of Osaka Kani Douraku East Store
Meeting place: Kyoto Station Hachijoguchi Tourist Bus Stop
The meeting place, Kyoto Station Hachijoguchi Tourist Bus Stop, is a 2-minute walk from Kyoto Station. It's been about 10 years since I last visited Kyoto, so even though I'm not familiar with the area, I was able to find it right away! However, there were too many tourist buses, and many of them had the same destination, so I recommend that you leave with plenty of time.
And be sure to check the meeting time on your voucher! The above itinerary is just for reference! I was just waiting in line to go to the toilet at Kyoto Station, but I was just barely able to make it. (I'm not good with Shinkansen toilets...)
Nationality of participants
Total of 39 people on this day.
From my experience, it seemed like 80% were Chinese, 1.5% were Korean, and 0.5% were Japanese. There were probably only two Japanese people, including myself (excluding the driver).
The guide was a Chinese woman, and she made announcements in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese, which was amazing.
Departure
8:45 Departed on time.
I'm sorry, but this is really a prejudice, but I participated in a tour with a lot of foreign people, thinking that it's inevitable that they'll be a little loose with the time, so it was a pleasant surprise that we departed on time.
Inside the car
We didn't share a seat, and each person could use two seats, so it was spacious and comfortable.
There were no power outlets.
When we got close to our destination, the guide made an announcement. (In Chinese → Korean → Japanese order)
The content was a simple announcement of the destination and the meeting time.
And again, I'm sorry for being biased, but I thought that the car would be lively because it was a tour with a lot of foreigners, but it was surprisingly quiet, probably because everyone was asleep early in the morning lol This was also a pleasant surprise lol
Arrival at Amanohashidate
We arrived around 10:20.
We went to the lift boarding point to Amanohashidate View Land with the guide. After receiving our tickets, we had free time from here until 12:55.
The time around here seems to change depending on the location of the bus parking lot.
Chionji Temple
After looking out over the entire sandbar from Amanohashidate View Land, we took the lift back down to visit Chionji Temple.
Rental bicycle + boat
Amanohashidate is 3.6km long.
I wanted to cross, but a 50-minute walk each way is not suitable for a time-pressured whirlwind tour. And it was 27 degrees that day, so it was hot. Impossible.
I bought a 900 yen ticket for both the rental bicycle and the boat, one way. *Please note that this is not included in the tour!
Chie no Mochi ~ Yoshino Chaya
12:15
I was getting hungry, so I had the famous Chie no Mochi.
Chie no Mochi is a rice cake topped with red bean paste that only the four shops in front of Chionji Temple are allowed to make. It is not sold online or at the station kiosk, so you can only buy it here. It is said that if you eat it, you will be granted the wisdom of Manjusri.
As a red bean paste lover, I had to have some!
I was imagining Akafuku from Ise, but it wasn't as sweet as Akafuku and had a stronger red bean flavor. Anyway, it was the red bean paste I liked...! They also had takeout, but I gave up because it didn't keep well.... I would like to go again just to eat the Chie no Mochi.
After that, we looked around the souvenir shops, used the restroom, and headed to the bus a little early. We departed 2-3 minutes late. I think this delay is within the acceptable range. (The driver was getting angry and said, ``Keep to the time, let us keep to the time'')
Ine's Funaya to Ine Bay Cruise
13:40 Arrived in Ine.
(From Amanohashidate to Ine, it's 25km, about 40 minutes by car)
Guide accompanied us to the boat dock.
Boarded the cruise departing at 13:45. After the 25-minute cruise, we gathered at 14:20.
(The itinerary said we'd stay for 1.5 hours, right? I thought, ``That's too early to gather...'' but continued next time)
Moved by bus to the Ine Funaya photo spot
↑This was the biggest point that made me think ``I wish they'd written this in the itinerary!''
It was about 3km from the pleasure boat dock to this photo spot, and it took about 5 minutes by bus, so the gathering time was early! ! I was a little disappointed that I couldn't relax at all after just the cruise and a short walk, but don't worry, you can see the boathouses up close here!
The stay here is about 25 minutes.
(You can stop by the SA on your way back, but it's better to use the restroom.)
By the way, what are the boathouses in Ine?
The first floor is a garage for boats, and the second floor is for living space. There are about 230 of these unique buildings lined up along Ine Bay, and they look like they are floating on the sea, and are also called the Venice of Japan.
I wondered if they would be safe from floods?! ? But it turns out that this is a fisherman's workshop, and the actual living space is just across the street.
Designated as a nationally important preservation district for groups of traditional buildings in 2022.
The parking lot is small, and buses are constantly coming and going, so we had to get there quickly!
(Someone was 5 minutes late and the driver was getting angry here too, so the atmosphere was terrible... It's our fault for not keeping to the time, but please be a little lenient... It's a customer-oriented business...)
Leaving for Kyoto city
15:00 Departing a little late. There was a 10-minute toilet break at a service area on the way.
17:20 Arrived at the Kyoto Station Hachijoguchi sightseeing bus stop. Disbanded.
It was a Saturday, but there were no major delays due to traffic jams, etc., and it was a tour that was cost-effective and allowed us to visit the spots we were interested in! 🗓️