As I walked toward the sea, feeling the early summer breeze, I could hear the cries of seagulls and the sound of a pleasure boat slowly approaching.

The view from the observation deck of the roadside station ''Funaya no Sato Ine'' (Kamejima, Ine-cho, Kyoto Prefecture) of the clear blue Ine Bay, the deep green trees, and the approximately 230 boathouses lined up along the sea is breathtaking. Aoshima, floating at the entrance of the bay, acts as a natural breakwater, and the waves are calm throughout the year.