North Kyoto tours: exploring Japan’s smaller coastal towns
Which North Kyoto tours should you choose?
It depends on your departure point and meeting time in Osaka or Kyoto
Plus, how to book a stay in Ine no Funaya, also known as Ine Funaya
Hi!
I’m travel blogger Gomyammi.
I’m planning a trip for next January to Kyoto, Japan, and working out the itinerary.
This time, I want to do something a little different.
Rather than the usual trips from Osaka to Nara, Kobe, or central Kyoto,
I’m heading to one of Japan’s Three Scenic Views: Amanohashidate,
followed by Kyoto’s coastal village of Ine Funaya, also called Ine no Funaya.
The plan is to explore the smaller towns of northern Kyoto Prefecture.
While putting this trip together,
I compared two North Kyoto tours—here’s what made me consider each one.
If you’re leaving from Osaka,
this is the tour I’d recommend.
Check out Raku Tour, the option with the most reviews.
It sells out early, so booking ahead is essential!
Getting around northern Kyoto independently isn’t especially convenient by public transportation,
so I’d suggest taking a tour from Osaka, then either leaving the tour at your chosen stop or returning with the group.
Raku Tour pioneered this northern Kyoto route,
and among the tours departing from Osaka,
it has the earliest departure for northern Kyoto.That’s a big advantage:
you can enjoy the sights before they get busy.
Tour departure times make a real difference in Japan,
so this is something I pay attention to.
This tour fills up faster than you might expect,
so once your travel dates are set,
I’d book sooner rather than later.
At Ine Funaya,
Amanohashidate,
and the other designated stops, you can board or leave the tour.
The catch? You can’t join it in Kyoto.
That sent me looking for another option.
If you’re leaving from Kyoto
I wanted to spend one night exploring Kyoto independently
before heading out to the smaller towns in the north,
so I started searching for other tours.
And finally found some!
There are two options, with slightly different starting times,
so you can choose whichever suits your travel style.
For an early start from Kyoto, I’d consider this one.
The Kyoto meeting time is 7:45 a.m.
The other tour picks up in both Osaka and Kyoto.
Pickup: 8:25 a.m. in Dotonbori / 9:35 a.m. in Kyoto city.
Those are the two departure options I found.
You can also finish the tour in either Kyoto or Osaka.
Pickup in Dotonbori, Osaka / Kyoto city
Amanohashidate
Amanohashidate Cable Car
Chionji Temple’s Monjudo Hall
Kaisenkyo Rotating Bridge
Amanohashidate Beach
Ine Funaya
Ine Funaya Cruise
Where to stay in Ine no Funaya, also known as Ine Funaya
My accommodation pick
A traditional Japanese house with a quiet, cozy lodge feel
When I take a tour to a smaller town outside a major city,
I always try to leave the tour there and stay overnight.
I’ve never regretted it, so I recommend doing the same if your schedule allows.
Kyoto and Osaka get crowded; spending a night somewhere peaceful like Ine Funaya
sounds like a lovely change of pace.
This is the place I’ve booked in Ine Funaya.
Now that my reservation is confirmed, let me show you what drew me to it.
They only accept one group per night, so reservations are competitive.
Search for “Cafe BB” and “Guri” to find it.
I use Trip.com and Agoda, linked below, to compare bookings,
and Agoda was cheaper when I checked.
Click to open Agoda.
Agoda
There’s a cafe on the first floor,
while the second floor accommodates just one group per night—no other overnight guests— in a small, intimate guest space.
It’s a restored traditional Japanese house originally built in 1952.
That alone already made it feel special.
The original-style wooden window frames give it that old Japanese house character,
and I love the atmosphere in the photos.
I can picture myself sitting in that chair with a cup of tea,
doing absolutely nothing.
That quiet, unhurried feeling
is exactly what I’d imagined for northern Kyoto.
The more I looked, the more it felt right.
One thing to know before booking:
Guri is not a waterfront funaya, or traditional boathouse stay.
It’s a restored old house within Ine village,
so if you’re imagining the sea directly beneath your room,
this isn’t that kind of accommodation—but the location looks convenient.
Personally, I’m not that keen on sleeping right over the water anyway.
I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat!
That was actually part of the appeal for me.
It’s close to where the tour ends,
and its central village location makes getting around easy.
The whole place looks instantly calming,
and the reviews make a point of how exceptionally clean it is.
There’s even a projector facing the bed,
so apparently you can settle in and watch something on a big screen.
Despite the building’s age, it seems beautifully maintained,
with plenty of praise for its cleanliness.
I’m the kind of person who digs through accommodation reviews one by one, so that matters to me.
I found surprisingly few hotels in the area with large communal baths,
while ryokan, traditional Japanese inns, pushed the price up considerably.
I wasn’t sure what to book, but this place has a bathroom made with hinoki cypress,
which sounded like a pretty appealing alternative.
The beds are from the Swedish brand DUXIANA, too!
Now that’s a detail I genuinely care about.
I was curious about breakfast as well.
The official menu listed waffles made with locally grown Ine buckwheat,
omelets, seasonal vegetable salads,
and dishes featuring local seafood.
Plenty of reviewers said the breakfast was delicious.
Rather than ticking off the sights and heading straight back,
I want to slow down and experience Ine in the evening and early morning, too.
That’s the kind of itinerary I’m putting together this time.
If you’re comparing North Kyoto tours,
I hope these details help you plan your own visit to Ine Funaya.
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