This 421 km route from 石岡市 to 鶴岡市 crosses Fukushima and Yamagata. Over the past 30 days, 34 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of the route, including 9 in the past week. All recorded sightings were Asian black bears. The most recent sighting was reported 1 day ago near Fukushima Matsukawamachi-Mizuhara, Fukushima; the location sits about 222.6 km from the start of the route and 3.3 km off the route line. The closest sighting to the route line was reported 3 weeks ago at Otama 木ノ下, Fukushima, sitting about 208.9 km from the start and 369 m off the route line.
This is an active bear corridor. Rerouting or rescheduling your hike is strongly advised.
2 places within 1 km of your route, passing through Fukushima, Yamagata.
In Fukushima City's Matsukawamachi Mizuhara Minamisawa area, a single bear about 1 m long was seen standing with its paw on a guardrail. No human or property damage was reported; the bear's subsequent whereabouts are unknown and police are patrolling by patrol car.
Fukushima Matsukawamachi-Mizuhara, Fukushima
At about 11:25 on May 5, a woman driving in Mizuhara Minamisawa, Matsukawa-machi, Fukushima City, sighted a single bear about 1 meter long standing with its paws on a guardrail. No human or property damage has been reported so far.
Fukushima Matsukawamachi-Mizuhara, Fukushima
Around 12:20 PM on May 2, 2026, a man in his 30s walking near the Arakawa in Niida Shimokawahara, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, reported seeing one animal believed to be a bear to the Fukushima police station. The police said the animal's body length is unknown, and the sighting occurred near the Fukushima Toyota Crown Arena.
Fukushima Yagita, Fukushima
At about 06:30 on May 2, 2026, a man in his 60s driving in Iizaka-cho, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, spotted a bear about 1 meter long crossing a municipal road and reported it to the police. The bear left following an irrigation channel and its whereabouts are unknown; there were no injuries. Police are patrolling the area and urging caution.
Fukushima, Fukushima
Around 10:50 a.m. on the 30th, an woman in her 80s spotted a single bear about 1 meter long on a farm road in the Harasekawara area of Nihonmatsu City. No human injuries or property damage have been confirmed.
Nihonmatsu 原セ川原, Fukushima
At around 7:00 a.m. on April 30, 2026, one bear believed to be an adult was sighted in the urban area of Yōgai in Yamanobe Town, Yamagata Prefecture.
Yamanobe 大字要害, Yamagata
At around 06:20 on April 30, 2026, a single bear was sighted moving from the Omi area of Yamabe Town toward Otsuka and Yōgai districts in Yamagata Prefecture. No human or property damage has been confirmed so far, and the police have warned residents that the bear may be hiding nearby.
Yamanobe 近江, Yamagata
On 2026-04-30 just after 06:00, residents in Omi, Yamanobe Town, Yamagata Prefecture reported a bear sighting, and sightings were also reported in the nearby Otsuka and Yōgai districts. The town warned that it may be the same individual and urged caution; the prefecture noted an increase in sightings and advised residents to avoid early-morning/night outings and not to leave household garbage outside.
Yamanobe 近江, Yamagata
Around 06:00 on April 30, one bear believed to be an adult was sighted in the urban area of Otsuka, Yamanobe Town, Yamagata Prefecture. The scene was only a few hundred meters from a location in Oumi where a bear was also sighted around the same time.
Yamanobe 大字大塚, Yamagata
Around 00:00 on April 29, 2026, a passerby spotted one bear along Maegawa in Futsukamachi 1-chome, Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture, and reported it to the police. No damage has been reported since the sighting; the city is distributing flyers to nearby residents and issuing cautions.
Kaminoyama 北町, Yamagata
In the early morning of April 29, 2026 (around 00:00), an adult bear was sighted in the residential area of Futukamachi, Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture. No further sightings were reported; the city and police urged residents to be cautious, and the prefecture has issued a bear alert.
Kaminoyama 北町, Yamagata
In the early morning of 2026-04-29, a bear, appearing as a dark mass, was filmed along the Maegawa north of the Kaminoyama City Comprehensive Children's Center Mengoria in Futukamachi, Kaminoyama City. Sightings have been frequent across the prefecture, and the prefectural government has issued a bear warning.
Kaminoyama 北町, Yamagata
At around 15:25 on April 28, 2026, a runner spotted a single bear about 1.0 m long on the Arakawa riverbank at Niida Nishi-Shimokawara in Fukushima City. No human or property damage was reported; Fukushima police increased patrols and a large walking event scheduled for the next day was canceled.
Fukushima Yoshikura, Fukushima
At around 15:23 on April 28, 2026, a man jogging along the Arakawa near Niiida Nishishimokawara in Fukushima City sighted a bear approximately 1 meter long. No injuries or damage have been reported; police and city officials are searching and keeping the area under watch.
Fukushima Yoshikura, Fukushima
At around 10:30 a.m. on April 28, 2026, one bear believed to be an adult was sighted in Koiwazawa, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture. Reports only describe the sighting.
Nanyo 小岩沢, Yamagata
Around 18:30 on April 27, a single bear about 1.2 meters long was sighted on a road in Hiraiishi Aza Uehara, Fukushima City.
Fukushima Fushiogami, Fukushima
At around 16:15 on the 27th, one bear was sighted in the Mihara-shi no Oka area of Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture. The bear reportedly ran from the west side of New Truck Kaminoyama toward the solar panel area, and the city has issued a caution.
Kaminoyama みはらしの丘, Yamagata
At around 16:10 on April 27, a single bear was sighted in Mihara, Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture.
Kaminoyama 三本松, Yamagata
Yamagata Prefecture issued its first bear-sighting advisory of the fiscal year on April 27 after a total of five bear sightings in urban areas such as Tsuruoka and Tendo during the week through April 26. At around 16:00 on April 27, one bear was observed in a residential area in Mihara-shi no Oka, Kaminoyama City.
Yamagata Kurosawa, Yamagata
At around 07:50 this morning a single bear was sighted near Kuramashi North Community Center in Kuramashi, Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture; the city and police are conducting patrols. The bear was reported moving within roughly 300–400 meters north of the community center; the city has urged nearby residents not to approach and to report any sightings promptly.
Tendo 大字窪野目, Yamagata
At about 15:55 on April 21, 2026, one bear was sighted in Horikane, Kawanishi Town, Yamagata Prefecture. The town has warned people to be cautious when passing through the area.
Kawanishi 大字堀金, Yamagata
At around 11:40 a.m. on the 21st, a woman at the Mount Shinobu parking lot in Oyama (Hayama), Fukushima City, observed a single bear-like animal about 50 cm long crossing a mountain path. According to the Fukushima Police, the animal left toward the woods to the north.
Fukushima Oyama, Fukushima
On the morning of April 20, in Nanyo City Ueno, a moving car collided with a bear about 1 meter long; after the collision the bear entered the nearby mountain. Prefectural figures show 68 bear sightings in 2026 as of April 12, and sightings by the end of March had already exceeded three times those in 2025, so the prefecture is urging caution during farming and wild-plant gathering.
Nanyo 上野, Yamagata
At around 08:00 on April 20, 2026, an ordinary passenger car traveling on a municipal road in Ueno, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture collided with a bear about 1 meter long. After the collision the bear fled into the nearby mountains.
Nanyo 上野, Yamagata
At around 05:50 on April 20, a driver observed an animal believed to be a bear about 1 meter long crossing a municipal road in Taki Kamisunaji, Tono-cho, Iwaki City, moving from the forest on the west side to the forest on the east side. No human injuries were reported, and police have urged local residents to remain vigilant.
Iwaki, Fukushima
In Yamagata City, a 60-year-old woman taking part in bear extermination operations slipped and fell several dozen meters, suffering serious injuries including broken ribs. Because of sunset she could not descend and waited overnight; she was rescued the next morning by a fire department disaster-prevention helicopter.
Yamagata Tokamachi 1-chome, Yamagata
A bear sighting was reported in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture. The article was published on 2026-04-19, but the available text does not provide specific details such as the exact location or the number of bears.
Nihonmatsu 金色, Fukushima
Around 13:30 on the 18th, a man driving on a prefectural road in Kyūishihara, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima, spotted a bear about 1 meter long crossing the road from north to south. The bear reportedly entered the forest afterward; no damage has been confirmed in the area, and police are patrolling by patrol car and urging residents to be cautious.
Nihonmatsu 休石原, Fukushima
Around 06:00 on 2026-04-16, one bear (about 1 meter long, believed to be an adult) was sighted near the municipal funeral hall in Hamana, Sakata City, Yamagata. In the same area, about 50 kg of nearly-harvested strawberries were found eaten in a Shiritaka (十里塚) greenhouse on the 12th, and about 7 kg were eaten in a Sakanobe Shinden greenhouse on the morning of the 16th; the city has set box traps and installed electric fences and sensor cameras as countermeasures.
Sakata 浜中, Yamagata
Between Ōyama Elementary School and Yaya. Cub bear
Otama 木ノ下, Fukushima
At around 16:55 on April 15, 2026, one bear was sighted in Hamanaka, Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture. The article reports only the sighting time and location and provides no further details.
Sakata 浜中, Yamagata
Just after noon on the 15th in Nihonmatsu City (Niitaki), a woman driving a car spotted a single bear about 1 meter long crossing a municipal road. The woman left the scene and the bear's whereabouts are unknown; no injuries have been reported and police are patrolling the area and warning residents.
Nihonmatsu 二伊滝二丁目, Fukushima
On 2026-04-14, a bear sighting was reported in Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture. The articles indicate there were sightings, but they did not provide detailed information on the number of bears or any damage.
Motomiya 本宮, Fukushima
At around 09:30 on April 13, a woman in her 30s spotted one bear approximately 0.8 m long in the fields of Aota-maehara, Motomiya City. No human injuries were reported, and the police have urged local residents to remain cautious.
Motomiya 青田, Fukushima
Peak activity at 6:00 with 5 incidents
Ursus thibetanus japonicus
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Over the past 30 days, 34 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of this route, including 9 in the past week. All recorded sightings were Asian black bears.
The most recent sighting was reported 1 day ago near Fukushima Matsukawamachi-Mizuhara, Fukushima; the location sits about 222.6 km from the start of the route and 3.3 km off the route line.
Recent sightings on this route peak around 6:00. Bears are generally most active at dawn and dusk.
This 421 km route from 石岡市 to 鶴岡市 crosses Fukushima and Yamagata. Over the past 30 days, 34 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of the route, including 9 in the past week. All recorded sightings were Asian black bears. The most recent sighting was reported 1 day ago near Fukushima Matsukawamachi-Mizuhara, Fukushima; the location sits about 222.6 km from the start of the route and 3.3 km off the route line. The closest sighting to the route line was reported 3 weeks ago at Otama 木ノ下, Fukushima, sitting about 208.9 km from the start and 369 m off the route line. This is an active bear corridor. Rerouting or rescheduling your hike is strongly advised.
