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This 486 km route runs from Higashishirakawa to Murakami, passing through Gifu, Niigata, and Nagano. In the past 30 days, 130 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 17 of them. The latest sighting was reported 1 day ago near Iida 大休, Nagano.
This is an active bear corridor. Drive through with full caution, but rerouting is the safer choice.
5 places within 1 km of your route, passing through Gifu, Niigata, Nagano.
One bear was found caught in a box trap in Okuyasu, Iida City, and was then culled by the hunters' association.
Iida 大休, Nagano
Size: Unknown
Takamori Yamabuki, Nagano
Size: juvenile
Matsumoto Arigasaki, Nagano
Bear sighting of one bear on a city road in Tagiri, Myoko City.
Myoko, Niigata
Size: juvenile
Iida Takinosawa, Nagano
A bear was sighted in Arigasaki, Matsumoto City.
Matsumoto Arigasaki, Nagano
Discovered signs/traces of footprints
Nagaoka, Niigata
There were bear tracks (footprints) in a rice field about 200 meters toward the mountain from the Sawashimojo district office.
Nagaoka, Niigata
Around 6:30 on 2026-07-14, a bear was sighted in Yamabuki, Takamori Town, Nagano Prefecture.
Takamori Yamabuki, Nagano
Size: Juvenile
Takamori Yamabuki, Nagano
While traveling on Prefectural Route 187, sighted one bear entering the brush on the north side.
Myoko, Niigata
Around 9:30 on July 13, a bear was sighted in Togura, Chikuma City, Nagano, and was captured.
Chikuma Togura, Nagano
Around 20:00 on 2026-07-13, a bear was sighted in Ozawa, Ina City, Nagano Prefecture.
Ina Ozawa, Nagano
Size: adult and cub
Achi Chisato, Nagano
Size: Unknown
Nagiso, Nagano
Size: Unknown
Ina Ozawa, Nagano
Size: Unknown
Nagiso, Nagano
One bear about 100 centimeters in body length was sighted approximately 200 meters east of Joetsu Gochi Nursing Home.
Joetsu, Niigata
A nearby resident sighted one bear. It entered the grassy area to the west.
Joetsu, Niigata
One bear about 1 meter long was sighted in a residential lot in Gochi 6-chome, Joetsu City, Niigata, and left heading west.
Joetsu, Niigata
Around 4:30 a.m. on July 11, a bear about 1 meter long was spotted on the premises of a private residence in Gochi 6, Joetsu City.
Joetsu, Niigata
Size: Adult
Okaya Kawagishi, Nagano
Size: Adult
Tatsuno 大字上島, Nagano
Size: adult with cubs
Iida 大休, Nagano
Around 18:20 on 2026-07-10, a bear was sighted in Kanae-Kirishita, Iida City, Nagano Prefecture.
Iida 羽場上河原, Nagano
In the Okuyasu area of Iida City, beehives were damaged and honey was eaten.
Iida 大休, Nagano
There were footprints in the rice field. Sightings were also reported nearby on 7/7 and 7/8. The estimated date and time are unknown.
Murakami, Niigata
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
At around 10:50 on July 9, one bear was seen moving in Hakoa, Shibata City, Niigata.
Shibata, Niigata
While operating the bus eastbound, a single bear was observed darting out from the south.
Myoko, Niigata
While driving on Prefectural Road 73 toward Yasuda, the witness spotted one bear in the bushes on the right-hand side. The bear immediately retreated back into the brush and fled.
Kashiwazaki, Niigata
In the Okuyasu area of Iida City, beehives were damaged and honey was eaten.
Iida 大休, Nagano
Size: Adult
Iida 大休, Nagano
Moved from the settlement to the forested mountains (south side).
Murakami, Niigata
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
Around 08:50 on 2026-07-08, an animal believed to be a bear was sighted in Komabayashi, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture.
Joetsu, Niigata
One animal believed to be a bear, about 100 centimeters in body length, was sighted 400 meters north of the Ken-Do Joetsu-Yasuzuka-Uragawara Line.
Joetsu, Niigata
On 2026-07-08 around 19:30, one bear was seen moving in Nashioki, Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture.
Murakami, Niigata
Size: Adult
Shiojiri Kaminishijo, Nagano
A passerby spotted one bear, about 1 meter long, on National Route 292 in the Jitto area of Myoko City.
Myoko, Niigata
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
One bear approximately 80 centimeters in body length was sighted 200 meters east of the former Marine Fishing Center.
Joetsu, Niigata
A bear about 0.8 meters long was sighted in Mushu Iwato, Joetsu City.
Joetsu, Niigata
A bear about 1 meter long collided with a moving passenger car on a road in Sakuramachi, Murakami City. The female driver was not injured, but part of the vehicle was damaged.
Murakami, Niigata
A vehicle traveling on National Route 113 from the Yamagata direction collided with a bear about 1.0 m in body length, and the bear ran off toward the Green Park Arakawa General Sports Park.
Murakami, Niigata
A single bear about 1.0 m in body length was roaming through the rice field.
Murakami, Niigata
One bear was spotted roaming in a rice paddy in the Sasaki area of Murakami City, Niigata.
Murakami, Niigata
Around 6:30 PM on July 6, a bear was sighted in Kashiwabara, Shinano Town, Nagano Prefecture.
Shinano, Nagano
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
A bear was sighted in Nishi-Minowa Oizumishinden, Ina City, around 1:30 PM on July 6.
Ina, Nagano
Around 1:30 PM on 2026-07-05, a bear was sighted in Momokawa, Murakami City.
Murakami, Niigata
While driving on the municipal Kitazawa Road, witnessed one bear crossing the road westward.
Myoko, Niigata
Size: unknown
Ina Yokoyama, Nagano
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
Spotted one bear near a residence. It was moving from beside the Nakago General Gymnasium toward the railway tracks.
Joetsu, Niigata
A bear was sighted in Akakura, Myoko City.
Myoko, Niigata
A bear was sighted in Naka-Minowa, Minowa Town, Nagano Prefecture, around 1:40 PM on July 3.
Minowa, Nagano
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
While traveling on Prefectural Route Myoko Kogen Park Line, a single bear was sighted crossing the road from north to south.
Myoko, Niigata
One bear was sighted crossing the municipal Sakaizawa-Omine road from south to north.
Myoko, Niigata
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
One bear was observed crossing National Route 18 from east to west.
Myoko, Niigata
Size: juvenile
Minowa 大字中曽根, Nagano
Size: unknown
Tatsuno 大字上島, Nagano
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
A single bear about 100 centimeters long was sighted at a point approximately 200 meters northeast of the Komabayashi neighborhood hall within the Oaza Komabayashi area.
Joetsu, Niigata
One bear was sighted in Toyono, Toyono-machi, Nagano City.
Nagano Toyonomachi-Toyono, Nagano
One bear about 100 centimeters in body length was sighted in the home center parking lot in the area of Ooaza Nishitanaka.
Joetsu, Niigata
A bear was sighted in a home center parking lot in Nishitakanaka, Joetsu City.
Joetsu, Niigata
Size: juvenile
Takamori Yamabuki, Nagano
Size: Adult
Shinano Nojiri, Nagano
Size: adult (fully grown)
Nagano Toyonomachi-Toyono, Nagano
While walking along the municipal road Futamata-Akakura Onsen Line, near the underpass box of the Joshin-etsu Expressway, I witnessed one bear crossing the road from south to north.
Myoko, Niigata
Size: juvenile
Azumino, Nagano
Size: adult (fully grown)
Tatsuno 南平, Nagano
Size: Adult
Matsumoto Nanaarashi, Nagano
Size: adult
Nagano Wakatsuki-Nishijo, Nagano
Nakatsugawa 田瀬, Gifu
While traveling on Prefectural Route Kamimasuda–Yoshikawa, I sighted one bear. It ran off to the south.
Joetsu, Niigata
Size: Unknown
Azumino 明科光, Nagano
Size: Adult
Iida 大休, Nagano
Nakatsugawa 付知町, Gifu
Size: Adult (fully grown)
Nagano Shinonoi-Okada, Nagano
Size: juvenile
Nagiso, Nagano
Nakatsugawa 田瀬, Gifu
One bear was sighted about 100 meters northwest of the campsite in the Oaza Gochi Kokubu area.
Joetsu, Niigata
Size: adult (fully grown)
Ina Nishiharuchika, Nagano
Size: adult
Nagano Shinonoi-Utabi, Nagano
Around 7 PM on 2026-06-27, a bear was sighted in Hara, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture.
Matsumoto Hara, Nagano
One bear was sighted in Gochikokubu, Joetsu City.
Joetsu, Niigata
Size: Adult
Iiyama Hachisu, Nagano
Around 2026-06-26 00:00, a bear was sighted in Kitanono, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture.
Shiojiri Kitaono, Nagano
Around 14:00 on 2026-06-26, a bear was sighted in Hasu, Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture.
Iiyama Hachisu, Nagano
Size: adult animal
Iiyama Hachisu, Nagano
While driving on Prefectural Route Suginosawa-Futamata, a single bear was observed moving across the road from the west side to the east side.
Myoko, Niigata
Nakatsugawa 付知町, Gifu
Around 10:00 on 2026-06-25, a bear was sighted in Toyono-machi Toyono, Nagano City.
Nagano Toyonomachi-Toyono, Nagano
Size: juvenile
Azumino, Nagano
Size: Adult (fully grown)
Nagano Yoshi, Nagano
Size: Unknown
Matsumoto Gojo, Nagano
Around 17:35 on 2026-06-23, a bear was sighted in Akashio, Iizuna Town, Nagano Prefecture.
Iizuna Akashio, Nagano
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
Size: Adult
Iizuna Akashio, Nagano
Size: juvenile
Takamori Izuhara, Nagano
Size: Adult
Iida 大休, Nagano
Size: Unknown
Matsumoto Nakayama, Nagano
Discovered bear tracks while doing farm work.
Nagaoka, Niigata
Nakatsugawa, Gifu
While driving on Prefectural Route Suginosawa-Futamata Line, (a witness) observed one bear crossing the road from east to west.
Myoko, Niigata
Around 6:30 a.m. on June 22, one beekeeping box was found broken in the yard of a private home in Kitakata, Iida City, and the honeybee nest inside was missing. The city believes a bear likely caused the damage.
Iida Kitagata, Nagano
Nakatsugawa 瀬戸, Gifu
Discovered bear tracks while on the way to cultivate the field
Nagaoka, Niigata
A bear was sighted in Soga, Shiojiri City.
Shiojiri Daimon, Nagano
Size: juvenile
Komagane, Nagano
Size: Unknown
Iida, Nagano
Size: Adult
Komagane, Nagano
Size: cub
Komagane, Nagano
A bear was sighted in Oaza Kehashizaka, Myoko.
Myoko, Niigata
While driving on Prefectural Route Suginosawa-Futamata, I witnessed one bear entering the forest on the east side of the road.
Myoko, Niigata
Around 5:00 on 2026-06-20, a bear was sighted in Sakamachi, Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture.
Murakami, Niigata
A bear was sighted on a road in Keishizaka, Myoko City.
Myoko, Niigata
Around 8:00 on June 19, two bears were reported sighted on a road in Kamigōkuroda, Iida City.
Iida Kamisatokuroda, Nagano
Size: unknown
Iida 宮ノ上, Nagano
Around 8:00 on 2026-06-19, a bear-like animal was sighted in Miyanoue, Iida City, Nagano Prefecture.
Iida 宮ノ上, Nagano
In Soga, Shiojiri City, one adult Asian black bear caught in a trap for deer and other animals was captured and culled because houses were nearby.
Shiojiri Daimon, Nagano
One bear was sighted in Nakago-ku Fujisawa, Joetsu City, Niigata.
Joetsu, Niigata
Spotted one bear while driving to the fields. It moved northwest.
Joetsu, Niigata
Peak activity at 8:00 with 11 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, 130 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 17 of them.
The latest sighting was reported 1 day ago near Iida 大休, Nagano.
Recent sightings on this route peak around 8:00. Bears are generally most active at dawn and dusk.
This 486 km route runs from Higashishirakawa to Murakami, passing through Gifu, Niigata, and Nagano. In the past 30 days, 130 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 17 of them. The latest sighting was reported 1 day ago near Iida 大休, Nagano. This is an active bear corridor. Drive through with full caution, but rerouting is the safer choice.
