The Kanagawa Coastal Environmental Foundation is the only group in Japan dedicated to beach cleaning. Established in 1991 by residents of 13 cities and towns in Kanagawa Prefecture and along the Sagami Bay coast, the Foundation has been active for more than twenty years with the support of local residents, businesses, and governments. The 150,000 people who serve as beach cleaning volunteers each year are also indispensable. However, it is a constant worry that while the trash along the coast never decreases, the budgets do. In this article, I discuss concrete initiatives we should take in future, based on problems we have encountered over the many years of our activities.

Sea Stations, which have been opened across the country as places for anyone to drop in at any time and relax in safety, are approachable by both land and sea and also serve as a base for marine rangers. At present there are more than 140 Sea Stations around the country, and in addition to providing visitor berths for those arriving by pleasure boats and yachts, their activities promoting local highlights include cruises, morning markets, and fishing experiences.

For those doing research on ocean problems, it is important that they have personal, physical experience of them before they taking action towards their solution. In this regard, surfing provides a rich source of experience. As surfers come to arrange their lives around the rhythms of the weather and the sea, they become sensitive to changes in the environment and thus more motivated to tackle environmental problems. Personal experience is also important in publicizing the fruits of one's research on environmental problems among development groups, citizen groups, and local governments.