Ine
伊根 · 230 funaya boathouses ringing a calm bay on the Sea of Japan, an hour past Amanohashidate
Ine is a fishing village on the north shore of the Tango Peninsula where roughly 230 funaya — two-story wooden boathouses with the ground floor open at the waterline — line a 5-kilometer arc around Ine Bay. The lower floor garages a fishing boat and tackle directly on the water; the upper floor is the family's living quarters. The Funaya district is designated an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, the federal designation usually reserved for samurai quarters and post-towns. Sightseeing boats from Ine Bay loop through the inlet so the boathouses can be read from the water side. Several funaya have been converted to overnight inns — Acchan and Ine no Funaya Miyabi Bettei among them — serving Tango-coast kaiseki built around morning-caught yellowtail, oysters, and Sea of Japan crab. Reach via JR Hashidate Limited Express to Amanohashidate Station, then about an hour by Tankai bus.