Ashikita manga project unites students to fight marine pollution

A new project in Ashikita, Kumamoto Prefecture, is leveraging the fame of a popular manga to tackle marine pollution, bringing together local students and the community to protect their coastal environment. The project collaborates with “Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater,” a manga by Yasuyuki Kosaka set in Ashikita, a town beloved by fishing enthusiasts.

This activity is part of The Nippon Foundation’s “Umi to Nippon Project – CHANGE FOR THE BLUE,” a nationwide effort to address ocean waste. Continuing its work with students from the local Ashikita High School, the organisation is expanding its focus from land-based litter to collecting and tracking floating debris in the sea for the first time.

To collect floating rubbish, the project has installed a Seabin, an Australian-developed marine debris collector, in one of Ashikita’s fishing ports. The device will operate until late December, with its contents and volume analysed weekly. A nearby sign, featuring a new 2025 illustration drawn by Kosaka, aims to engage manga fans and the wider public with the project’s mission.

In addition to collection, the project includes a survey to trace the origins of marine debris. GPS-equipped bottles will be released into seven rivers that flow into the Yatsushiro Sea around Ashikita. By tracking their paths for up to one month, the project will map how rubbish travels from inland areas to the ocean.

The project also continues a successful component from the previous year by installing four custom-designed litter bins, or “hiroibako,” at locations across the town. These bins, also decorated with new artwork from the manga, encourage residents and visitors to participate in clean-ups by providing a solution for waste disposal.

By analysing the contents of both the Seabin and the litter bins, the organisation intends to create a highly accurate marine debris map for the Ashikita coast. This data-driven approach combines practical clean-up action with scientific research and community engagement, using a unique local cultural asset to address a global environmental issue.

The project will run from September to December 2025.