Saves as a new trip plan. The original stays as-is.
This 191 km route runs from Tsuruta to Kuji, passing through Aomori and Iwate. In the past 30 days, 70 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 10 of them. The latest sighting was reported 2 days ago near Hirosaki, Aomori.
This is an active bear corridor. Reroute or postpone until activity quiets.
A bear was sighted in Sanwa, Hirosaki City.
Hirosaki, Aomori
A bear was sighted in Aisaka Shirakami, Towada City, around 5:10 a.m.
Towada Nishi-jurokubancho, Aomori
A bear was sighted moving in Nishijubancho, Towada City.
Towada Nishi-jugobancho, Aomori
There is information of movement toward the Aisaka/Shirakami direction.
Towada Nishi-rokubancho, Aomori
On 2026-05-22 around noon, one bear was sighted in Naganouchi-cho 28th district, Kuji City.
Kuji 長内町, Iwate
A bear was sighted in Osanai-cho 36-chome, Kuji City, around 7:05 PM on May 21.
Kuji Minatocho, Iwate
At around 18:58 on May 21, a resident reported that an adult bear was seated on the roof of a shed within private property in Nagauchi-cho, Kuji City. No human injuries have been confirmed; property damage is under investigation and the police are keeping the area under surveillance.
Kuji Niida, Iwate
Around 5:40 PM on 2026-05-21, a bear was sighted in Obanai-machi 29-chiwari, Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture.
Kuji Niida, Iwate
At around 4:50 AM on May 21, 2026, one bear was sighted near Motonami No.12 Chiwari, Samurahama-cho, Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture, and near the Motonami fishing port. The report was provided by the Daily Tohoku Shimbun.
Kuji, Iwate
On May 21, 2026, multiple bear sightings were reported in Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture, with the city's second and third sightings noted. The article does not specify exact locations or whether there were any damages or injuries.
Kuji Kawasakicho, Iwate
A bear sighting of two (a parent and one offspring) was reported near Fukamochi Umeyama, Towada City, at about 10:50 AM on May 18, 2026.
Towada, Aomori
At around 6:40 AM on May 18, 2026, a single bear was sighted near 200 meters south of the Lawson Hachinohe Tagadai 1-chome store in Tagadai 1-chome, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture.
Hachinohe Ichikawamachi, Aomori
A single cub was sighted near Fukamochi Umeyama in Towada City at around 20:30 on May 17, 2026.
Towada, Aomori
At around 07:30 on May 17, 2026, one bear was sighted near 300 meters west of Hachinohe Koudai Daini High School in Myodaikai, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture.
Hachinohe Myo, Aomori
On May 17, 2026, a bear sighting was reported in Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture. The article reports the sighting but does not specify the exact location, time, or number of bears.
Kuji Kawasakicho, Iwate
Around 14:55 on May 16, 2026, a single cub was sighted in the area of Natsui Dai-21 Chiwari, Natsui-cho, Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture. No damage or injuries were reported.
Kuji, Iwate
Shortly after 11:00 AM on May 15, 2026, one bear was sighted northeast of Ōno Elementary School in Aoba 1-chome, Aomori City.
Aomori Ono, Aomori
There were repeated bear sightings from the night of the 14th into the early morning of the 15th near Aomori Prefectural Museum, the Sannai-Maruyama ruins, and the Nami-date Maeda residential area in Aomori City. Around 05:00 near Nagashima Elementary School, one bear of unknown length was seen moving west; the school asked parents to pick up children or keep them home for remote lessons, and the city patrolled the area.
Aomori Sannai, Aomori
Before 21:00 on May 14, 2026, a roughly 1-meter-long bear was seen entering a residential property in Aomori City's Nami-dachi Maeda area. Sightings also occurred at a convenience store parking lot, in the Nami-dachi area, and in the Nagashima area near the prefectural office; the city has set up a response headquarters and is considering switching to emergency shooting.
Aomori Namidate, Aomori
Around 19:00 on May 14, 2026, a single bear about 1 meter long was sighted in Gobommatsu Hirano, Namioka, Aomori City, crossing Prefectural Road No. 27 (Aomori-Namioka Line) from south to north. No damage was reported.
Aomori, Aomori
Before 8:00 a.m. today, one Asiatic black bear (Tsukinowaguma) was sighted near the prefectural art museum and the Sannai-Maruyama ruins in Aomori City. City staff and the hunters' association inspected the site but found no tracks or other traces; the Sannai-Maruyama ruins have posted notices to inform visitors of the sighting and warn them to be cautious.
Aomori Sannai, Aomori
At 7:30 AM on May 14, 2026, one bear was sighted near the Prefectural Art Museum in Yasuda, Aomori City, the city reported. No other reports of damage were mentioned.
Aomori Sannai, Aomori
At 7:30 AM on May 14, 2026, the city announced that one bear was sighted near the Aomori Prefectural Museum in Yasuda, Aomori City.
Aomori Sannai, Aomori
Around 7:30 a.m. on May 14, 2026, one Asian black bear (tsukinowaguma) was sighted between the Prefectural Art Museum and the Sannai-Maruyama archaeological site in Yasuda, Aomori City. No injuries or damage were reported.
Aomori Sannai, Aomori
At around 04:14 on May 14, 2026, a single Asiatic black bear (about 1 meter long) was sighted on a farm road in Yamamoto, Takehana, Kuroishi City; the location is roughly 200 meters northeast of the Tohoku Expressway Takadate PA (upbound), and the bear fled toward the highway. No damage was reported.
Kuroishi 大字竹鼻, Aomori
Near the Michi-no-Eki Namioka Apple Hill in Namioka, Aomori City, a black bear about 1 meter long was sighted moving on the road before 7:00 AM, and subsequent reports said bears were seen behind a supermarket and in residential yards. The prefecture has issued a prefecture-wide Asiatic black bear warning, and a separate bear was captured near a residence in Kuroishi City the previous day.
Aomori, Aomori
On May 13, 2026, between 06:55 and 07:50, four bears were sighted in Aomori City's Namioka area. Sightings occurred near the Michi-no-Eki Namioka Apple Hill (on a national road), a road in Namioaka Sugisawa Kamifukuda, behind The Big Namioka store, and a path beside a residential garden in Inoue; several bears were about 1 meter long and no damage was reported.
Aomori, Aomori
I heard the sound of a branch breaking, looked toward the slope, and saw a bear, so I backed away and ran. It was at a distance, but I think it was about 150 cm. I was panicked and did not take any photos.
Hachinohe Sakaushi, Aomori
A bear cub was sighted in the hot spring area 'Tenku no Onsenkyo' in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, and the head priest urged visitors to take their offerings home. Bears have been appearing in many places, and sightings in Hachinohe have continued for five consecutive days.
Hachinohe Babacho, Aomori
At around 13:45 on May 10, the city reported that a single bear about 1 meter long was sighted in an apple orchard east of Yoshinoda Shintameike in the Yoshinoda Nikogesawa area of Namioka, Aomori City.
Aomori, Aomori
Around 08:10 on May 9, a resident spotted one young bear in the garden of a house in Genmichi, Kuji City. The cub ran north, no injuries or damage were reported, and police are urging local residents to be cautious.
Kuji Gendo, Iwate
A bear sighting in Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture, was reported on May 9, 2026. The article does not provide specific location details, time, or information about any damage.
Kuji Kawasakicho, Iwate
At around 07:10 on May 8, 2026, one bear was sighted near Nakairin, Nakairin-aza, Hachinohe City. No damage was reported; the location is about 400 meters west of Nakairin Park.
Hachinohe Nakaibayashi, Aomori
At around 07:10 on May 8, a single bear was sighted in Nakaibayashi, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture (about 400 meters west of Nakaibayashi Park). No damage was reported; the city has warned local residents and the hunters' association is responding by setting box traps.
Hachinohe Nakaibayashi, Aomori
Around 07:10 on 2026-05-08, one bear was sighted in Nakairin, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture. The sighting occurred in an area with homes and educational facilities; no damage was reported, and the city has warned residents and schools, deploying capture traps and maintaining vigilance.
Hachinohe Nakaibayashi, Aomori
Following a bear sighting at the Komakino archaeological site, the city suspended visits to the site from May 8. There is no set date for reopening and the closure may last through May, while the related facility "Jomon no Manabiya Komakino-kan" remains open as usual.
Aomori Nozawa, Aomori
Around 16:00 on May 7, bear-like footprints were found in Saihatake (幸畑), Aomori City. No damage has been confirmed; the site is southeast of the Hakkoda Mountain Snow March Disaster Museum, and the city is urging nearby residents and passersby to be cautious.
Aomori Kobata, Aomori
On the afternoon of May 7, 2026, a single bear was reported sighted near Nakairin Park in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture. No specific damages were reported.
Hachinohe Nakaibayashi, Aomori
Around midday on May 7, 2026, a visitor at the Komakino ruins in Nozawa, Aomori City, spotted one bear entering the surrounding forest from the observation area. For safety, visits to the ruins were suspended from the afternoon of the same day and the adjacent facility "Komakino no Mori・Donguri no Ie" was temporarily closed; reopening is undecided.
Aomori Nozawa, Aomori
At about 12:55 on May 7, 2026, one Asiatic black bear (tsukinowaguma) was sighted entering the woodland east of the Komakino archaeological site observatory in Nozawa, Aomori City. No injuries or damage were reported; the city has warned nearby residents and passersby to be cautious.
Aomori Nozawa, Aomori
Around 12:40 p.m. on May 7, 2026, one bear was sighted in a roadside forest about 600 meters west of Nakairin Park in Nukazuka-Osawa, Hachinohe City.
Hachinohe Nakaibayashi, Aomori
At around 12:40 on May 7, 2026, one bear was sighted in Ōsawa (Nukazuka), Hachinohe City; no damage was reported. The city has urged nearby residents and passersby to be cautious.
Hachinohe Nukazuka, Aomori
Around noon on May 7 a bear was sighted at the Komakino archaeological site in Aomori City, and viewing of the site has been suspended from the afternoon of the same day. The related exhibition facility, Jomon no Manabiya Komakino, remains open as usual.
Aomori Nozawa, Aomori
On May 7, 2026, one bear was sighted within the grounds of the Komakino archaeological site in Nozawa, Aomori City. The Aomori City Board of Education announced on May 8 that visits are suspended, and the reopening date is undecided.
Aomori Nozawa, Aomori
On May 6, 2026, shortly before 16:00, Hachinohe City conducted an emergency shooting at the city's sewerage office in Eiyo 3-chome, killing one adult female Asiatic black bear (about 1 m long, 50 kg). The bear had been seen at Numadate Ryokuchi Park about 2.5 hours earlier; authorities herded it away from commercial facilities and culled it in a location where safety could be ensured.
Hachinohe Numadate, Aomori
On May 6, 2026 at about 13:10, a bear was sighted in Numadate Ryokuchi Park in Numadate 4-chome, Hachinohe. The bear moved to the premises of the city sewerage office, and with the mayor's authorization for shooting, hunters culled a female Asian black bear about 1.0 m long at around 15:50 the same day (the first emergency shooting in Aomori Prefecture).
Hachinohe Numadate, Aomori
On 2026-05-06, an emergency shooting hunt was carried out in a commercial area of Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture by a wildlife damage response team and five hunters; after about a 40-minute pursuit a single bear was shot at 15:48. The shooters used shotguns loaded with slug ammunition and drove the bear near the city sewage office grounds before firing.
Hachinohe Numadate, Aomori
Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, announced on May 6, 2026 that it captured one adult female Asiatic black bear (about 1 meter long, ~50 kg) at the municipal sewerage office by emergency shooting. The bear had been sighted near Numadate Green Park, and an operation member shot and captured it at 15:48.
Hachinohe Numadate, Aomori
On the 6th shortly after 13:00 a bear was reported spotted at Numadate Green Park in Numadate 4-chome, Hachinohe City, and shortly after 15:00 the same day one bear was culled in an emergency shooting. It was reported to be the first time a bear was culled by emergency shooting in the prefecture.
Hachinohe Numadate, Aomori
A bear was sighted near Numadate Green Park in Numadate, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, prompting an emergency culling and temporary road restrictions. After a report from a facility user, the facility and municipal public-address vehicles issued warnings.
Hachinohe Numadate, Aomori
A single bear was sighted near Numadate Ryokuchi Park in Numadate 4-chome, Hachinohe City, around 13:10 on the 6th. Warnings have been issued for the area.
Hachinohe Numadate, Aomori
Around 13:00 on May 6, 2026, a black bear (about 1 meter long) was spotted in a residential area of Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture; the prefecture carried out its first-ever 'emergency gunning' to cull the individual. Warnings about bear appearances had been issued since April.
Hachinohe Babacho, Aomori
Shortly after 13:00 on May 6, 2026, a bear was sighted at Numadate Ryokuchi Park (Numadate 4-chome) in Hachinohe City, and one bear was culled in an emergency shooting. This was the first time a bear was culled by an emergency shooting in the prefecture.
Hachinohe Numadate, Aomori
On May 6, 2026, Hachinohe City in Aomori Prefecture announced that an adult female Asiatic black bear (approximately 1 meter long, weighing about 50 kg) was captured by emergency shooting on the grounds of the municipal sewerage office in Eiyo 3-chome.
Hachinohe Numadate, Aomori
On May 6, Hachinohe City in Aomori Prefecture captured one adult female Asian black bear (about 1 meter long, 50 kg) by emergency shooting on the grounds of the city sewerage office. The action followed sightings at Numadate Ryokuchi Park a few hundred meters away and nearby commercial facilities; it was the first capture by emergency shooting in the prefecture.
Hachinohe Numadate, Aomori
On May 6, 2026, one bear spotted in the Numadate area of Hachinohe City was culled through an "emergency shooting" authorized by the municipality. This was the first cull by emergency shooting in Aomori Prefecture.
Hachinohe Numadate, Aomori
Around 18:00 on May 5, 2026, one bear was sighted near Furudate in Ichikawa-cho, Hachinohe City. The sighting was reported approximately 500 meters southwest of the Ichikawa post office.
Hachinohe, Aomori
Around 17:00 on 2026-05-05, a parent-and-cub bear appeared in the precincts (cemetery) of Ganjoji temple in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture; people visiting the graves sighted the bears. Three people sheltered in a nearby hall, police arrived about ten minutes after the report, and the temple posted warnings asking visitors to take offerings home.
Hachinohe Ichikawamachi, Aomori
A bear sighting was reported on 2026-05-05 in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture. The article only reports the sighting and does not specify the exact location, time, or number of animals.
Hachinohe Babacho, Aomori
At around 08:00 on May 4, 2026, one bear was sighted near the Yonezawa Community Center in Shimoyoshida Yonezawa, Rokunohe Town, Aomori Prefecture.
Rokunohe Shimoyoshita, Aomori
At around 06:30 on May 4, one bear was reported sighted in Nejo-Okubo, Hachinohe City. No injuries or reports of capture were reported.
Hachinohe Sawasato, Aomori
On April 30, 2026, a bear sighting was reported in Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture. The article does not provide specific location details or the time of the sighting.
Kuji Kawasakicho, Iwate
On April 29, two bear sightings were reported in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture. The article reports the sightings but does not provide details on any damage or precise locations.
Hachinohe Babacho, Aomori
An adult bear was sighted in Hachinohe (Myobunshi area, about 200 m north of Kanisawa Waterworks Park) on April 28, 2026 at around 18:40. On the previous day, April 27, 2026 at about 17:00, an adult bear was also reported near an agricultural road about 400 m south of the municipal final waste disposal site in Kushibiki Iri-sawa, Hachinohe.
Hachinohe Myo, Aomori
In Hachinohe's Okubo, a bear was filmed shortly after 1:00 PM putting its paws on a fence along the grounds of a school. Between about 10:30 AM on April 28 and before 8:00 AM on April 29 there were five sightings in the Kanahama and Okubo areas; the prefecture has issued an Asiatic black bear advisory and urged people not to approach.
Hachinohe Okubo, Aomori
At around 07:56 on April 28, 2026, one Asiatic black bear (Tsukinowaguma) was sighted near the west side of Korekawa Central Park in Korekawa 1-chome, Hachinohe. No damage was reported, and the city has urged nearby residents and passersby to be cautious.
Hachinohe Korekawa, Aomori
In Hachinohe City, bear sightings in residential areas have increased; on April 28 a bear was seen leaning on a fence along the grounds of Hachinohe Daiichi Special Needs School. The city judged the situation dangerous, set new capture traps, is consulting with universities on countermeasures, and plans to conduct an emergency hunting drill later this month.
Hachinohe Okubo, Aomori
There was one in an open area a short distance down a forestry road. It was sniffing around the ground, so maybe it was hungry?
Towada, Aomori
On the morning of April 26, 2026, one bear was sighted in Miwa, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. The article does not report any injuries or capture/dispatch of the bear.
Hirosaki, Aomori
According to Hirosaki City, at around 07:50 on April 26 a single bear of unknown body length was sighted in farmland near Sunazawa reservoir in Sanwa, Hirosaki City (Koiizuka area). The city is warning local residents via public announcement vehicles and Hirosaki Police patrols.
Hirosaki, Aomori
Peak activity at 7:00 with 10 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.
Draw any route in Japan and get the same bear-safety report, built around the trip you're actually taking.
No comments yet.
In the past 30 days, 70 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 10 of them.
The latest sighting was reported 2 days ago near Hirosaki, Aomori.
Recent sightings on this route peak around 7:00. Bears are generally most active at dawn and dusk.
This 191 km route runs from Tsuruta to Kuji, passing through Aomori and Iwate. In the past 30 days, 70 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 10 of them. The latest sighting was reported 2 days ago near Hirosaki, Aomori. This is an active bear corridor. Reroute or postpone until activity quiets.
