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This 307 km route runs from Fukiware Falls to Nikko, passing through Gunma, Fukushima, Tochigi, and Niigata. In the past 30 days, 50 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 8 of them. The latest sighting was reported 2 days ago near Nikkō 久次良町, Tochigi.
This is an active bear corridor. Drive through with full caution, but rerouting is the safer choice.
4 places within 1 km of your route, passing through Gunma, Fukushima, Tochigi, Niigata.
I sighted two cubs of unknown body length entering the mountain.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
Three bears—a mother and two cubs—were sighted at the former Nunoba Ski Resort slope. Their subsequent movements are unknown.
Yuzawa, Niigata
One bear was sighted near the Kan-Etsu Expressway Tsuchitaru parking area.
Yuzawa, Niigata
Around 10:30 on July 6, a bear was sighted in Shimozu, Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture.
Minakami Shimozu, Gunma
One bear was sighted near Tanigohashi Bridge. It was moving north.
Yuzawa Tsuchidaru, Niigata
Observed one bear about 0.7 m in body length entering the brush from the municipal road.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
One bear, about 0.6 meters long, was sighted in Kokai-cho, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
Observed one bear about 0.7 m in body length moving from the International University toward the highway.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
One bear, about 0.7 meters long, was sighted in the Komakiyama area of Minamiuonuma City.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
Around 8:00 on July 4, a bear was sighted in Shikanosawa, Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture.
Minakami Yoshimoto, Gunma
Spotted a Class 1 bear while traveling on National Route 17. Subsequent movement route is unknown.
Yuzawa Kandatsu, Niigata
Around 4:50 PM on June 30, a bear was sighted in Agagawa, Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture.
Minakami, Gunma
Around 4:05 PM on 2026-06-28, one bear was sighted in Anogawa, Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture.
Minakami, Gunma
One bear was sighted near the former Tsuchitaru Ski Resort.
Yuzawa, Niigata
I sighted one bear about 1 meter in body length entering the mountain.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
I sighted one bear of unknown body length running toward the Botaniyama direction.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
One bear about 80 cm long was sighted in Misashima, Minamiuonuma City.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
I observed one bear about 0.8 m in body length crossing National Route 291 and entering toward Mt. Sakado.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
Showa Morishita, Gunma
At around 7:00 on 2026-06-24, one bear was sighted on the Kanetsu Expressway in Yanagikoshinden, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
Discovered bear footprints and signs of crops having been damaged in a field.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
I sighted one bear about 1 m in body length on the shoulder of National Route 291 near the Uono River.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
Found bear tracks of unknown body length in the field.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
One bear (body length unknown) was sighted while traveling on the municipal road Matsukawa-Nakako-Gawara Line. Its subsequent movement route is unknown.
Yuzawa Tsuchidaru, Niigata
Found bear tracks in the rice paddy.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
Heard the vocalizations of an animal believed to be a bear.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
One bear was sighted on a town road in the Tsuchidaru area of Yuzawa Town, Niigata.
Yuzawa Tsuchidaru, Niigata
While driving on the Matsukawa Nakako-gawara municipal road, one bear was sighted. It was moving from the expressway direction toward the Uono River direction.
Yuzawa Tsuchidaru, Niigata
Around 6:45 PM on June 14, a bear was sighted in Yuhara, Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture.
Minakami Yubara, Gunma
I encountered an Asiatic black bear (Tsukinowaguma) crossing the road on a forest road heading to Mount Omine / Ōmine-numa.
Minakami, Gunma
While driving on Prefectural Route 268, I spotted one bear. It went into the brush to the south.
Yuzawa Tsuchidaru, Niigata
Nikkō 久次良町, Tochigi
A bear was sighted moving in Takihara Fukuroguchi, Minamiaizu Town, around 19:37 on July 7.
Minamiaizu Takinohara, Fukushima
Around 12:14 on July 7, a bear was sighted in Itazawa Ōkura-do, Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture.
Minamiaizu Itozawa, Fukushima
On Friday, July 3 at around 6:00 p.m., a single bear (about 50 cm in body length) was sighted on the railway tracks near Aizu-Kōgen-Ozeguchi Station, Haneko area, Takihara, Minamiaizu Town. The bear reportedly left the tracks and went into the forested area east of the tracks; its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.
Minamiaizu Takinohara, Fukushima
On Wednesday, July 1 at around 4:00 p.m., on National Route 121 in Jinja area, Itosawa, Minamiaizu Town, a witness (female in her 50s) driving a vehicle northbound on Route 121 toward Tochigi Prefecture saw one bear (about 50 cm in body length) crossing the road from the river on the south side of the highway toward the forest on the north side. The bear entered the forest and its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.
Minamiaizu, Fukushima
Around 8:00 on July 1, a bear about 1 meter long was seen in Kamishiobara, Nasushiobara.
Nasushiobara 上塩原, Tochigi
Nikkō 清滝安良沢町, Tochigi
Around 11:40 PM on June 29, one bear was sighted in Itazawa Iidaira, Minamiaizu Town.
Minamiaizu Itozawa, Fukushima
On Thursday, June 25, at around 7:20 p.m., in the Fukuroguchi area of Takihara, Minamiaizu Town, a witness (male in his 60s) saw a bear about 50 cm in body length in nearby grasses when he stepped out of his home's entrance to go out. The bear noticed the witness and fled west into the forested area; its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.
Minamiaizu Takinohara, Fukushima
Around 4:45 PM on 2026-06-25, one bear was sighted in Yamauchi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture.
Nikkō 山内, Tochigi
Nikkō 上鉢石町, Tochigi
Nikkō 所野, Tochigi
Around 9:00 on 2026-06-23, a bear was sighted in Toshino, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture.
Nikkō 所野, Tochigi
Nikkō 所野, Tochigi
On Friday, June 19 at around 4:25 p.m., in the Fukuroguchi area of Takihara, Minamiaizu Town, a witness (male in his 70s) saw a bear (about 50 cm in body length) when he went outside his home; the bear was in what used to be a rice field west of the house. The bear then entered brush to the west.
Minamiaizu Takinohara, Fukushima
Around 10:10 on 2026-06-16, one bear was sighted moving in Takihara Fukurakuchi, Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture.
Minamiaizu Takinohara, Fukushima
On Tuesday, June 16, at approximately 10:10 a.m., in Fukuroguchi, Takihara, Minamiaizu Town, a witness (male in his 70s) looked outside from his home and saw one bear (about 50 cm in body length) in what used to be a rice field to the west of his house. The bear then left, heading toward the mountains to the west.
Minamiaizu Takinohara, Fukushima
Nikkō 鬼怒川温泉滝, Tochigi
Nikkō 松原町, Tochigi
Peak activity at 16:00 with 9 incidents
Ursus thibetanus japonicus
Safety picks and trail essentials, top-rated on Amazon and Rakuten.
For mountain rescue, call 110 (police). They will coordinate with local rescue teams.
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In the past 30 days, 50 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 8 of them.
The latest sighting was reported 2 days ago near Nikkō 久次良町, Tochigi.
Recent sightings on this route peak around 16:00. Bears are generally most active at dawn and dusk.
This 307 km route runs from Fukiware Falls to Nikko, passing through Gunma, Fukushima, Tochigi, and Niigata. In the past 30 days, 50 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 8 of them. The latest sighting was reported 2 days ago near Nikkō 久次良町, Tochigi. This is an active bear corridor. Drive through with full caution, but rerouting is the safer choice.
