Hato Bus is running the fourth installment of its "Sustainable Tour" series in August 2026, taking passengers to the Shonan/Enoshima coast for a day combining a beach cleanup, ocean environmental education, and free time exploring the island. The tour, called "Protect the Richness of the Sea! Shonan/Enoshima Coast Sustainable Tour," is organized together with the NPO Shonan Vision Institute.
Hato Bus has run its Sustainable Tour series since May last year as part of its broader sustainability efforts, and the tours have proven popular with passengers. This fourth tour focuses on ocean environmental issues and is scheduled during the summer school holidays, making it easy for a wide range of participants, from children to adults, to join.
Tour Highlights
Beach Cleanup on Enoshima's Nishiura Coast
Participants clean up the beach at Enoshima's Nishiura coast while also collecting microplastics — plastic fragments 5mm or smaller in diameter that harm marine life, and ultimately people, when they enter the ocean.
Ballpoint Pen Workshop
Participants make their own ballpoint pens using the microplastics collected during the cleanup and take them home as a souvenir.
Environmental Lecture
A lecture on ocean environmental issues gives participants a chance to think about protecting the sea.
Lunch at Enoshima Yacht Harbor
Lunch is served at Enoshima Yacht Harbor, featuring a boiled whitebait rice bowl bento from Tobicho, a local Enoshima specialty restaurant.
Free Time on Enoshima
Passengers also get about an hour of free time to explore Enoshima on their own.
The bus used for the tour is a large hybrid sightseeing coach built for excellent fuel efficiency and significantly reduced emissions. A portion of the tour's proceeds will be donated to the Fujisawa City Environmental Fund.
A Message from the Shonan Vision Institute
Kiyohiro Katayama, chairman of the NPO Shonan Vision Institute, shares his thoughts on the tour:
"Shonan and Enoshima are blessed with a beautiful sea and rich nature, making them one of Japan's leading coastal destinations. On this tour, participants can enjoy the Shonan sea in summer while learning about ocean environmental issues in a fun way through the beach cleanup and the microplastic workshop. Working together with Hato Bus, we designed a tour where guests can play in the sea, learn about the sea, and help protect the sea, all in one experience. We hope it becomes a special summer memory for children and an enjoyable day for the whole family, and that everyone gets to fully experience the charm of the Shonan sea."
Tour Details
Tour Name: Protect the Richness of the Sea! Shonan/Enoshima Coast Sustainable Tour
Operating Dates: August 7 (Friday) and August 18 (Tuesday), 2026
Fares: Adults ¥15,000 / Children (ages 6 to 11) ¥14,000
Itinerary: Departs Tokyo Station (Marunouchi South Exit) at 9:00 AM → Enoshima Nishiura Coast (beach cleanup and microplastic collection; an ocean environmental education board game is offered instead in case of rain) → Enoshima Yacht Harbor (ballpoint pen workshop using the collected microplastics; lunch of Tobicho's boiled whitebait rice bowl bento; lecture on ocean environmental issues by the chairman of the NPO Shonan Vision Institute) → Enoshima (free time) → Tokyo Station (Marunouchi South Exit, scheduled arrival 5:40 PM)
Reservations Open: From 2:00 PM on July 9, 2026 (Thursday)
Reservations are available on the Hato Bus website.
