A secret destination tourists don’t know about yet

If you’re looking for a spectacular tourist destination without all the tourists, you’ll want to visit Kyoto’s sleepy little fishing town that floats on the sea. Located on the shore of Ine Bay in Kyoto Prefecture is a group of 230 “funaya,” or boat houses. Known as Ine no Funaya, or The Boat Houses of Ine, the wooden buildings are built on the water’s edge and feature garage-like openings which act as boat moorings for their residents.

Sometimes referred to as the “The Venice of Japan”, the townscape is so unique it’s been designated as a protected area of “important traditional buildings”. The unique houses were built out of necessity, to maximise the use of a narrow strip of land between the sea and the mountains. This style of wooden architecture is possible here as there’s little tidal movement and the quiet cove provides protection from storms and sea swells.