Smoking Rules at Enoshima and Katase Beach: 2026 Guide
Table of contents
About this guide and disclaimer
This is a third-party guide compiled from the ordinance text and street-smoking guidance published by Fujisawa City (https://www.city.fujisawa.kanagawa.jp/), the city’s Fujisawa Beach Rules (FY2026 edition), Kanagawa Prefecture’s guidance on its passive-smoking ordinance (https://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/), and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s passive-smoking site (https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/), reflecting the situation as of August 2026. District boundaries, smoking facilities and the beach rules are reviewed periodically. Always confirm the latest information on each official source. This guide does not make judgements about individual venues and does not encourage smoking. Smoking by people under 20 is prohibited by law in Japan.
The three gateway stations are all in prohibited districts
You reach Enoshima from one of three stations: Katase-Enoshima on the Odakyu Enoshima Line, Enoshima on the Enoshima Electric Railway, and Shonan-Enoshima on the Shonan Monorail. Fujisawa City states that it designates the areas around all of its stations as street-smoking-prohibited districts, and publishes a district map for each of these three. Inside a prohibited district, Article 8(3) allows smoking only at a smoking place where an ashtray is installed. In practical terms, the walk from the station to the island is not a stretch where you can smoke as you go.
The definitions matter too. Article 2(5) defines "smoking" as smoking tobacco or holding a lit cigarette. Walking along while holding a lit cigarette is itself covered by the ordinance, even if you are not drawing on it at that moment.
- Inside prohibited districts: smoking is allowed only where an ashtray is installed (Article 8(3))
- Anywhere in the city: endeavour not to smoke while walking or riding a bicycle (Article 7(1))
- Anywhere in the city: carry a portable ashtray or smoke where an ashtray is installed (Article 7(2))
- "Public place" expressly includes the seashore as well as parks, plazas and roads (Article 2(4))
- Discarding or leaving butts in public places is prohibited (Article 9)
- Penalty: a fine of up to ¥20,000 for violating an order, not an on-the-spot administrative fine (Articles 13, 14 and 18)
Katase Beach: the seashore counts as a public place
Katase Higashihama and Katase Nishihama, the beaches facing the island, are packed in summer. Because Article 2(4) expressly lists the seashore as a public place, the Article 7 duties to endeavour not to smoke while walking and to carry a portable ashtray extend onto the sand, as does the Article 9 ban on discarding butts. Burying a butt in the sand or leaving it behind is exactly what the ordinance prohibits.
The beaches themselves are governed by a separate document, the Fujisawa Beach Rules (FY2026 edition), set by the city’s Summer Coast Measures Council and in force from 26 May 2026. Article 27 prohibits beach users from making a fire or using cooking equipment that uses an open flame. Article 29 requires users to take home their belongings and rubbish rather than leaving them. Article 23 prohibits drinking alcohol anywhere other than at a beach house. As of writing we could not confirm any provision in these rules that directly prohibits smoking, so this guide does not assert that the beaches are non-smoking. Follow on-site signage and the instructions of lifeguards and supervisors, and put consideration for the people around you first. The FY2026 opening periods are 1 July to 6 September for Katase Higashihama, 1 July to 13 September for Katase Nishihama and Kugenuma, and 18 July to 31 August for Tsujido.
Indoors: national law plus a Kanagawa-specific ordinance
Since the revised Health Promotion Act came fully into force on 1 April 2020, facilities used by many people are non-smoking indoors in principle; Type 1 facilities such as schools, hospitals and government offices are non-smoking across the whole premises, while Type 2 facilities such as restaurants, offices and hotels may install a smoking-only room or a heated-tobacco-only smoking room where the statutory requirements are met (source: MHLW https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/). A smoking-only room permits smoking but not eating or drinking; a heated-tobacco-only smoking room permits heated tobacco with food and drink (source: https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/smoking_room/). Nobody under 20 may enter. On top of that, Kanagawa Prefecture has its own Ordinance on the Prevention of Passive Smoking in Public Facilities. The prefecture states that facilities are classified as prefectural Type 1 specified facilities or prefectural Type 2 facilities, that prefectural Type 1 specified facilities may not install a heated-tobacco-only smoking room, and that a prefectural Type 2 facility installing a designated-tobacco smoking room should endeavour to keep roughly half or more of its public space (excluding shared-use areas) as a no-smoking zone. The obligation to display non-smoking signage was abolished on 1 April 2024 (source: Kanagawa Prefecture https://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/docs/nf5/cnt/f6955/p23021.html).
On the island, rules differ facility by facility
The island packs a shrine, an observation tower, a spa, restaurants and shops into a small, steep, densely built area, and the rules differ from one facility to the next. Enoshima Island Spa, for example, announced on its official site that its entire premises became non-smoking from Saturday 19 July 2025, expressly including heated tobacco and e-cigarettes; it also notes that Enoshima Hotel has long been entirely non-smoking, and asks guests to refrain from smoking on the street outside the premises (source: Enoshima Island Spa https://www.enospa.jp/information/250719_smoking-prohibited.html). We could not confirm any official list of smoking spots on the island published by Fujisawa City, so this guide does not assert where individual smoking spots are. Check each facility’s official information and the on-site signage, and given the wooden buildings and narrow approach paths, do not use a flame anywhere other than a designated place.
Find nearby smoking areas with MottoSuitai
To look for smoking areas around Enoshima, Katase Beach or Fujisawa Station, browse registered entries near your location on MottoSuitai's smoking area map. For the neighbouring sightseeing hub, see the Kamakura smoking guide, and for the overall picture for visitors to Japan, see the guide to smoking in Japan for tourists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.What happens if I smoke on the street at Enoshima?
A.Fujisawa City designates the areas around every station in the city as street-smoking-prohibited districts, and publishes district maps for Katase-Enoshima, Enoshima and Shonan-Enoshima Stations. Inside a district, Article 8(3) allows smoking only where an ashtray is installed. Enforcement is staged: a recommendation, then an order, and a person who violates the order is liable under Article 18 to a fine of up to ¥20,000. Check the latest on the Fujisawa City official site.
Q.Can I smoke on the sand at Katase Beach?
A.The ordinance expressly lists the seashore as a "public place" (Article 2(4)), so the duties to endeavour not to smoke while walking and to carry a portable ashtray (Article 7) and the ban on discarding butts (Article 9) apply on the beach. We could not confirm any provision directly prohibiting smoking in the Fujisawa Beach Rules (FY2026 edition), so this guide does not state that the beaches are non-smoking. Follow on-site signage and lifeguard instructions.
Q.Are there smoking spots on Enoshima island itself?
A.We could not confirm any official list of smoking spots on the island published by Fujisawa City, so this guide does not assert individual locations. Rules differ by facility: Enoshima Island Spa, for instance, announced that its whole premises became non-smoking from 19 July 2025, including heated tobacco and e-cigarettes. Check each facility’s official information and on-site signage.
Q.Can I have a barbecue or set off fireworks on the beach?
A.Article 27 of the Fujisawa Beach Rules (FY2026 edition) prohibits beach users from making a fire or using cooking equipment with an open flame. Separately, Article 12 of the city ordinance prohibits fireworks in public places late at night, defined as 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day. Check the Fujisawa City official site for details.