Things to do in Amanohashidate: viewpoints, Ine and costs

Amanohashidate is a sandbar in Miyazu Bay⁴, so most of the sights are on it, on the hills above it, or up the coast in Ine. The Ine picks come after the sandbar ones.

Walk or cycle the sandbar

The sandbar is one of the Three Views of Japan⁵, alongside Matsushima and Miyajima, and about 8,000 pine trees¹ line it. Walking end to end takes about 50 minutes one way; a bicycle does it in about 20 minutes⁶.

On the way you pass:

• the Amanohashidate-jinja Shrine and the Isoshimizu freshwater well¹;
• a road bridge that swings 90 degrees¹ to let ferries and barges through.

Amanohashidate sightseeing boat

The sightseeing boat links the Monju and Fuchu districts in 12 minutes⁷, a crossing that takes about an hour⁸ on foot. Adults pay ¥800 (about US$5) one way or ¥1,300 (about US$8) return between Amanohashidate Pier and Ichinomiya Pier; children pay ¥400 (about US$3) or ¥650⁸ (about US$4). Walk one way and sail back if your legs want a rest.

Amanohashidate View Land

Amanohashidate View Land (Viewland) is an observatory on top of Mt. Monju¹⁰. Check Amanohashidate Viewland hours and fees before you go up.

What you do at the top:

• Matanozoki: you bend over and look at the sandbar through your legs¹¹.
• There are seven matanozoki platforms¹², all with handrails.

Chionji Temple and wisdom mochi

Chionji Temple stands at the southern end of the sandbar⁴, in the Monju / Amanohashidate Station¹⁰ area. Come for the temple and stay for the snack.

Motoise Kono Shrine

Motoise Kono Shrine is near the northern end of the sandbar⁴, in the Fuchu¹⁰ area, so it pairs well with a trip up to Kasamatsu Park.

Kasamatsu Park

Kasamatsu Park sits on the north side of the sandbar in the Fuchu district, 130 m above sea level¹⁴. Kyoto Prefecture’s tourism site calls it the perfect stop for a first visit¹⁵.

• Getting there: the bus from Amanohashidate Station takes 25 minutes, or take the sightseeing boat and walk 5 minutes¹⁶ from the pier.
• Going up: at Fuchu Station, one ticket covers both¹⁷ the cable car and the chairlift: ¥800 (about US$5) (checked October 2026) return for adults, ¥400¹⁴ (about US$3) for children.
• Ride time: the cable car leaves every 15 minutes and takes about 4 minutes; the lift takes 6 to 8 minutes¹⁷.
• Hours: 9:00–18:00 from March to October, 9:00–17:30 in February and November, 9:00–17:00¹⁷ in December and January.
• Summer mornings: Kyoto by the Sea lists an earlier start, 8:00–18:00 from 20 July to 20 August¹⁶, which the operator’s own hours don’t show.

For the cable car, the views and what else is up there, read the Kasamatsu Park visitor guide.

AmaTerrace at Kasamatsu Park

AmaTerrace is a restaurant, café and shop¹⁸ inside Kasamatsu Park, looking over the whole of Amanohashidate. It’s the obvious place to sit down after the ride up.

• Open 9:00–18:00¹⁹, varying by season
• Last orders at 16:00 in the café and 15:30¹⁹ in the restaurant

Nariaiji Temple

Nariaiji Temple stands halfway up Mt. Nariai¹⁰, overlooking the sandbar. A mountain bus from Kasamatsu Park climbs the steep road in about 7 minutes²⁰.

• Bus frequency: every 30 minutes on weekdays, every 20 minutes²⁰ at weekends and on public holidays. Some runs operate only at weekends and holidays from March to November²⁰.
• Bus fare with entry: ¥1,120 (about US$7) for adults, ¥720 (about US$5) for junior high students, ¥360²⁰ (about US$2) for elementary age and younger.
• Entry fee: the temple’s own site says ¥500 (about US$3) for adults, Tankai’s bus page says ¥400²⁰ (about US$3); junior high age and younger enter free²¹.
• Hours: 8:00 to 16:30²¹.

Ine Funaya boathouses

Ine is a seaside village²³ on the Tango Peninsula, where about 230 funaya boathouses, boats below and living rooms above, line about 5 km²⁴ of shore. The townscape is a national Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings²⁴, and people here still make their living mainly from fishing²⁵.

Because Ine is remote, JNTO suggests a whole day there, or even an overnight stay²⁶. Ine’s own tourism site recommends simply relaxing around the funaya²⁷. Plan your route with the guide to visiting the funaya boathouse village.

How do you get from Amanohashidate to Ine?

Take the Tankai bus from Amanohashidate Station: it takes about 50²⁸ to 60 minutes²³ and costs ¥400²⁹ (about US$3) one way.

• Board a local bus bound for Ine, Kyogamisaki or Kamanyu³⁰.
• For the bay cruise, get off at Ine-wan Meguri/Hide²⁸: the pier is right in front of the stop.
• Driving instead: JNTO puts Ine about two hours from Kyoto city by car, leaving the Kyoto-Jukan Expressway at the Miyazu-Amanohashidate Interchange³¹.

Ine Bay by boat

The Ine Bay cruise (Ine-wan Meguri) circles the bay in about 25 minutes, leaving on the hour and half hour from 9:00 to 16:00³. Small sea taxis do a tour of the same length if you’d rather sit closer to the water.

Sea taxis are easiest to board near the Shichimenyama Parking Lot³². Fares and boarding points are in the Ine Bay funaya boat tour guide. Or let a day tour handle the buses and the boat:

Day tour

9 hours•Free cancellation

Kyoto Amanohashidate & Ine Funaya & Ine Bay Scenic Day Trip (Departing from Osaka or Kyoto)

4.9 (6,660 reviews) on Klook, checked October 2026

fromUS$51.65

See dates on Klook

Funaya no Sato Park

Funaya no Sato is a park overlooking Ine Bay and its boathouses¹, at the roadside station above the village, and it gives you the aerial view²³ of the funaya.

• Entry to the park is free, and so is parking¹.
• The roadside station is open 9:00 to 17:00; toilets and car park stay open 24 hours¹.
• By car it’s 25 minutes¹ from the Yoza-Amanohashidate interchange.

Amanohashidate Onsen at Monjusou

Monjusou is a ryokan in the Monju area, designed by Junzo Yoshimura on the Amanohashidate canal, about a 5-minute walk³³ from Amanohashidate Station. Its own site calls it a resort ryokan³⁴ on the shores of Amanohashidate.

• A large bath and an open-air bath fed by natural Amanohashidate Onsen hot spring water³³
• Three 92 m² special rooms³⁵, each with its own open-air bath; the Sora no Midori room’s bath looks out over the sandbar

Miyazu Toro Nagashi Fireworks Festival

Miyazu holds the Miyazu Toro Nagashi Fireworks Festival every year on 16 August³⁶. In 2026 it ran from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm³⁷, so check the evening’s times before you plan a summer night around it.

• From Kyoto by train: the JR Hashidate Limited Express takes 2 hours³⁸ by japan-guide.com’s count, or about two and a half hours³⁹ to Amanohashidate Station by JNTO’s. Japan-guide.com puts the fare at ¥4,800–5,400³⁸ (about US$31–34) one way.
• From Kyoto by bus: about 2 hours 20 minutes⁴⁰. Compare the options on the Kyoto train and bus connections page.
• Tourist information: the centre at the station is open 9:00–17:00⁴¹.
• Weather: September is the wettest month at 226.9 mm, and August highs average 31.9 °C⁴². See Miyazu weather by month before you pick dates.