There have been numerous bear sightings in Aomori Prefecture. This report compiles information on bear sightings, including footage of a bear approaching a field in Towada City, as well as sightings at a strawberry farm in Mutsu City and a residential area in Hachinohe City. In residential areas, vigilance continues, with parents now required to accompany their children to school. Please review this information to ensure your safety.
[Intriguing! News Clip] A bear approaches, shaking its large body. Just when it seems to be right in front of the photographer, it crosses in front of him and disappears into the bushes. The bear appeared suddenly around 6 p.m. on the 10th in Towada City, Aomori Prefecture, while the photographer was checking his rice field.
Yohei Ogasawara, who encountered the bear, said: “Even just being in front of me made it feel huge. It had an imposing presence. If I hadn’t been in the car, I would have been terrified. I wonder if I was able to stay calm.” Meanwhile, in Ibigawa Town, Gifu Prefecture, a camera captured a scene of a bear leisurely walking on top of a concrete block wall. It was discovered around 8:20 a.m. on the 11th by town officials on patrol.
The bear that was filmed appears to be an adult about 1 meter long, and there is a possibility that it is the same bear that was spotted in the town center on June 9th. There have also been a series of bear sightings near the mouth of the Kurobe River in Toyama Prefecture. Since June 8th, four reports have been received, and footprints believed to belong to an adult bear have been confirmed. A man who was visiting the river mouth on the 8th to observe wild birds recalled his sudden encounter, saying, “The bear and I made eye contact, it stopped for a moment, and then ran away up the embankment.”
Bear sightings continue in famous tourist areas as well. On the 10th, a bear was captured and culled on the north side of Amanohashidate in Kyoto Prefecture, one of Japan’s three most scenic spots. However, on the 12th, there were reports of another bear sighting on the south side. Police and others temporarily closed Amanohashidate to search for the bear, but so far no footprints or other traces have been found. Meanwhile, a bear has also been spotted in an area where bears had never been confirmed before.
Around 5 p.m. on the 11th, a bear was captured on camera installed in a forest in Kita Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. This is the first time a bear has been confirmed in Kobe City. The site is near a golf course, and the city is urging residents in the surrounding area to be cautious. FNN Prime Online
A bear has been sighted again at Amanohashidate in Kyoto, one of Japan’s three most scenic spots. The new sighting has created tension in the tourist area.
■Bear Returns to Amanohashidate, One of Japan’s Three Most Scenic Spots A black bear was seen running along the beach. On the 10th, a bear appeared at Amanohashidate in Kyoto, one of Japan’s three most scenic spots, and the tourist area was temporarily under high alert, with police and Kyoto Prefecture scrambling to respond. That same night, an adult male bear, about 1.4 meters long, was captured. However… Shortly after 7:30 a.m. on the 12th, there was a report of a bear sighting, once again causing a major impact on the tourist area. The road that runs 2.6 kilometers north to south across Amanohashidate was temporarily closed to traffic. Tourist: “I heard it had been exterminated, but its claws are incredible, so it’s a bit frightening.” Furthermore, bear sightings have been reported all over the country this week. Footage taken in Aomori Prefecture on the evening of the 10th showed a huge bear emerging from the back of a field. The bear glanced towards the car the photographer was in, but showed no sign of being bothered and walked right past it. You can see that it has plenty of fat stored in its belly and is walking with its large body swaying.
An expert said… Takayoshi Yamauchi, Associate Professor of Agriculture, Iwate University: “First of all, when I watched the video, I was most surprised by how close it was. Also, its arms were very thick and it was well-fleshed.” The video was taken on a farm road in Towada City, Aomori Prefecture. A man who was patrolling the rice fields at the time said that he had seen a bear in the area a few years ago, but this time… Encounter with a bear Yohei Ogasawara: “Wow, it was huge. I heard that there are people who have survived bears that are just over a meter tall, but no way. It had an incredible presence. It really had an imposing presence when it came over here.” There have been a series of sightings of Asiatic black bears in various places this week as well. On the 9th, a bear was captured in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, measuring approximately 150 centimeters in length and weighing around 80 kilograms. However, the bear recently photographed in Aomori Prefecture is different.
Associate Professor Takayoshi Yamauchi of the Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, said, “I think it easily weighs over 100 kilograms. If it were eating mountain produce, it wouldn’t accumulate that much fat, so we can conclude that it’s eating a large quantity of something with excellent nutritional value.” It seems to have accumulated considerably more fat than the bear in Utsunomiya. What did it eat to get so fat? Associate Professor Takayoshi Yamauchi of the Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, said, “Livestock feed is very nutritious, so if it eats it intensively, it’s possible that its weight could increase rapidly.” On the 11th, bears were sighted in another location as well. A sensor camera installed by Kobe City captured the image of what appears to be an adult bear. This is said to be the first time a bear has been confirmed in Kobe City. According to the city, there have been no reports of injuries to humans.
Furthermore, in Gifu Prefecture as well… A bear about 1 meter long was seen walking on top of a wall. The location is Ibigawa Town, located in the westernmost part of Gifu Prefecture. Although there are forests to the north, the surrounding area is an urban area with elementary schools and elderly care facilities scattered around. Yuto Nohara, chief of the Ibigawa Town Agriculture and Forestry Promotion Division, said, “There was a sighting report, and Ibigawa Town staff spotted it while on patrol. There was also a sighting in a slightly different area two days ago, so we cannot say for sure that it is the same individual that has been sighted on consecutive days. We cannot rule out the possibility that there are multiple bears.”
In Ibigawa Town, bear sightings have more than doubled compared to the same period last year, and vigilance has been strengthened, including the installation of box traps. Amidst bear sightings in various locations, the Metropolitan Police Department established a project team on the 12th to deal with bear extermination. In response to a series of bear sightings in the Okutama region and other areas, they have established a system to exterminate bears in coordination with local governments when hunters cannot reach the scene and there are no other options. [TV Asahi NEWS]
First bear sighting confirmed in Kobe City; Mayor says “It’s unlikely to suddenly appear in the city center.”
