Fishing Spot Japan

Fishing in Sagami Bay

Saltwater in Kanagawa, Kanto. 1 h from Tokyo

Do you need a permit?

No permit is required for recreational sea fishing.

How far our answer goes here

  • ✓National lawApplies everywhere. Foreign-national gear limits, protected species, bluefin controls.
  • ✓PrefectureMinimum sizes, closed seasons and legal gear. This is a floor — local rules add to it, never subtract.
  • ~Sea-area / inland committeeDirectives that close specific waters or periods. We hold these for a few prefectures only.
  • —Cooperative permitSea fishing needs no cooperative permit. A Common Fishery Right still covers the shore — see the rule above.

Rules stack. Everything above the line we hold; everything below it you still need to confirm on the ground. That gap is exactly what a local guide is for.

Legal gear in Kanagawa

●Hand line & rod fishing×Trolling●Landing net●Scoop net●Cast net●Fishing spear (excluding harpoons)●Rake / clam tool●Hand gathering

Sea areas only, as of 2026-03-31. Anything not listed — diving apparatus, spearguns — may not be used at all. Full table & footnotes

Size limits and closed seasons

Kanagawa VERIFIED

Set by the Kanagawa Fisheries Adjustment Rules. Taking abalone, sea cucumber or glass eel carries up to 3 years or ¥30,000,000.

Applies to: Sea and inland. The source regulation covers both sea and inland waters. Cooperatives add further rules on rivers and lakes.

Closed seasons

Ayu (sweetfish)1 Jan – 31 May, and 15 Oct – 30 NovOn parts of the Sagami and Sakawa the autumn window starts 1 Nov instead.
Yamame15 Oct – end of FebLake Ashi is exempt.
Iwana char15 Oct – end of FebLake Ashi is exempt.
Sculpin1 Jan – 31 Mar
Pond smelt — Lake Tsukui and Doshi River1 Mar – 15 AprCommittee instruction.

May not be taken at or under this size

Rainbow trout12 cm total length or under
Yamame12 cm total length or under
Iwana char12 cm total length or under
Common carp18 cm total length or under
Japanese eel24 cm total length or under

Prohibited methods

  • Inland — Weir traps, set nets and sweep nets
  • Inland — Any gear with a launching mechanism
  • Inland — Cast net between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise
  • Inland — Bin traps, dewatering, electric current, and any method using light
  • Inland — **Diving goggles** — using a mask to spot fish is prohibited (a viewing box is allowed)
  • Inland — Taking salmon anywhere in inland waters (Fisheries Resource Protection Act art. 28)
  • 12 named weirs and intakes — Taking anything within the posted distances above and below the structure — on the Tama, Sagami and Sakawa

Kanagawa bans the use of **diving goggles** to find fish in fresh water, which catches out visitors who assume snorkelling and spotting is harmless. Twelve weirs and intakes on the Tama, Sagami and Sakawa have no-take zones measured in metres above and below the structure. Six cooperatives hold the fishery rights; each sets its own permit rules, and several were revised in 2025–26.

Local committee instructions

  • Smallmouth bass and similar: taking them out alive, and returning them to the water, are both prohibited year round.
  • Carp: taking them out and stocking them are restricted year round.
  • Corbicula in the Tama River: taking, possessing and exercising the common fishery right are all restricted year round.
  • Lake Tsukui and the Doshi River: cast netting is prohibited in defined zones year round; pond smelt is closed 1 Mar – 15 Apr.

The prefecture publishes a Q&A on recreational fishing rules (PDF).

Source: Kanagawa Prefecture, Fisheries Division — river and lake rules (updated 27 Jul 2026) and sea rules (16 Jul 2026). Kanagawa Fisheries Adjustment Rules arts. 34, 35, 37, 38. https://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/docs/kb2/cnt/f790/p504690.html✓ checked 2026-08-28

What we have checked here

A starting point, not a full species list. Plenty else swims here. These are the fish we have paired with the rules that govern them.