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This 171 km route runs from Komine Castle to Nihonmatsu Castle within Fukushima. In the past 30 days, 35 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 6 of them. The latest sighting was reported 1 day ago near Koriyama, Fukushima.
This is an active bear corridor. Drive through with full caution, but rerouting is the safer choice.
Around 4:18 PM on 2026-05-25, a bear was sighted in Takadama Futate, Atami-machi, Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture.
Koriyama, Fukushima
Around 6:40 AM on May 25, a bear was sighted in Iwahara, Inawashiro Town, Fukushima Prefecture.
Inawashiro 字城南, Fukushima
One bear was seen crossing a city road in Futabishin-den, Shirakawa City, around 19:30.
Shirakawa 双石, Fukushima
A bear was sighted in Tanakadonai, Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, around 20:28 on May 22.
Sukagawa 市野関, Fukushima
Around 6:25 AM on May 22, a bear was sighted in Ouse-machi Kawauchi-Higashinagura, Koriyama City.
Koriyama, Fukushima
Around 5:00 PM on May 20, a bear was sighted in Sarashina Tohei, Bandai Town, Fukushima.
Bandai, Fukushima
Around 08:15 on May 19, 2026, a park user and a manager spotted one bear about 1 meter long at the 'Kodomo no Mori' park in Kuroiwa Hanamigaoka, Kadota-machi, Aizuwakamatsu City, and reported it to the Aizuwakamatsu Police via the city. The city has closed the park temporarily.
Aizuwakamatsu Yugawaminami, Fukushima
Around 07:30 on the 17th, a man in a car reported to police that he saw a bear crossing the road near the west entrance of Ouse Park in Ouse-machi, Koriyama. According to the police the bear, about 1 meter long, crossed the prefectural road and entered the forest in the park; the park had been closed after another sighting on the afternoon of the 16th and staff are patrolling and using firecrackers as countermeasures.
Koriyama, Fukushima
At around 07:30 on May 17, 2026, a man in a car spotted one bear crossing the road and entering the forest near the entrance of Ouse Park in Ouse-cho, Koriyama City, and reported it to the police. Ouse Park has been closed since the 16th after staff found a bear inside the park, and the animal seen this time is believed to be the same one based on its size.
Koriyama, Fukushima
Following a bear sighting, Ouse Park in Koriyama City was closed from the evening of May 16. After safety was confirmed, the park reopened at 13:00 on May 18; Fukushima Prefecture conducted patrols and used firecrackers in the park on May 17 and 18 as countermeasures.
Koriyama 逢瀬町河内, Fukushima
Crossed National Route 49 from the recreation park side and entered the brush on the north side.
Inawashiro 大字翁沢, Fukushima
At around 16:15 on May 15, 2026, a woman spotted one bear about 0.5 meters long at the Japanese garden Shiki-no-Sato Ryokusui-en in Iwane Kawara, Motomiya City. The bear stayed on the premises briefly but then left toward the adjacent Iokawa River, and the city placed box traps in the nearby woods along the river.
Motomiya 岩根, Fukushima
On May 15 in the Atami Elementary area of Atami-machi, Koriyama City, there were two bear sightings. Around 07:00 a bear about 0.5 m long was seen running from a field into the forest in Takadama Asozawa, and at 09:15 another bear about 1 m long was seen crossing the JR Ban'etsu West Line tracks in Takadama Hirabayashi. The Koriyama North Police are on alert.
Koriyama, Fukushima
On May 14, 2026 at about 07:40, a bear approximately 1.0 m long was sighted on the riverbank in Aizuwakamatsu-shi, Higashiyama-cho Oaza Ishiyama Innai. The same day, another ~1.0 m bear was seen in Hanamigaoka 2-chome climbing a tree, a ~0.6 m bear was seen climbing a residential fence in Hanamigaoka 1-chome, and a ~0.5 m bear was observed walking along a forest road and entering woodland in Shirakawa-shi, Daisin Masumi Oaza Ohninata — four bears were reported in total.
Aizuwakamatsu Higashiyamamachi-Ishiyama, Fukushima
At about 18:45 on May 13, 2026, a single bear approximately 1 meter long was seen in Iwane Aza Nakamaeda, Motomiya City, running toward the forest and running away.
Motomiya 岩根, Fukushima
At around 14:15 on the 13th, a man in his 70s spotted a bear about 1 meter long in woodland in Higashiyama-machi, Aizuwakamatsu. The bear climbed into the forest and fled; the man was not injured.
Aizuwakamatsu Tenneijimachi, Fukushima
Just after noon on May 12, a single animal believed to be a bear about 0.5 m long was sighted in a cemetery in Kuroiwa, Kanda-machi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture. The animal walked toward the mountain to the east and its whereabouts are currently unknown; no injuries or damage have been confirmed. Police continue patrols by cruiser and are sharing information with Aizuwakamatsu City Hall.
Aizuwakamatsu Mondenmachi-Oyama, Fukushima
Around 11:55 on May 12, a man in Shirakawa City's Fujisawa mountain area witnessed an animal believed to be a bear about 1.5 meters long crossing a municipal road and entering the forest. No human injuries have been reported, and the police have urged caution.
Shirakawa 藤沢窪, Fukushima
At around 06:50 on May 12, in the area of the Ban-etsu Expressway (downward 75.6 km post) in Iwane, Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture, a man in his 60s witnessed a bear about 80 cm long crossing the highway from north to south. The bear went up the road embankment and no human injuries were reported; police are patrolling the area and urging caution.
Motomiya 岩根, Fukushima
On May 12, 2026, a single bear about 80 cm long was seen crossing the Ban-etsu Expressway in Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture.
Motomiya 岩根, Fukushima
Around 14:40 on the 7th, a man walking on a promenade in Kuroiwa, Motoda-machi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, sighted one bear about 1 meter long. The bear then walked south along the promenade, and no damage in the surrounding area has been reported so far.
Aizuwakamatsu Higashiyamamachi-Yumoto, Fukushima
At about 14:50 on the 5th, a man in his 50s reported to the Inawashiro Police Station that he had sighted one bear about 1 meter long in a parking lot in Tsumachi, Inawashiro Town. The bear fled into the forest east of the parking lot, and the police are patrolling the area.
Inawashiro 字並杉西, Fukushima
A bear was walking south from Iwahashi Shrine.
Inawashiro 字西峰, Fukushima
At around 13:50 on May 4, a single bear about 1 meter long was spotted along Route 49 near Ogasawara Goten-yama (Ogasawa), Inawashiro Town. No human or property damage has been confirmed so far, and the police have warned the public to be cautious.
Inawashiro 大字翁沢, Fukushima
At around 09:20 on May 4, a single bear was sighted up in a tree in Kuroiwa, Monden-machi, Aizuwakamatsu City. The police have warned residents to be cautious, and no injuries or property damage have been reported so far.
Aizuwakamatsu Higashiyamamachi-Yumoto, Fukushima
Around 17:30 on April 30, a man in Hanamigaoka, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, sighted one bear about 50 cm long in the brush of a mountain forest. No damage has been confirmed in the area; the police are patrolling with patrol cars and coordinating with the Aizuwakamatsu City Hall to respond.
Aizuwakamatsu Takaramachi, Fukushima
At around 15:05 on April 29, 2026, a man collecting wild plants at the edge of the ski slope in the Minero area of Inawashiro Ski Resort, Nakamaruyama, Inawashiro Town, Fukushima Prefecture, sighted one bear about 1.2 meters long. The bear returned to the woods afterward, and no injuries or property damage were reported.
Inawashiro 字葉山, Fukushima
On 2026-04-29 at around 08:45, a single bear about 1 meter long was seen walking on the riverbed in Yukawaminami, Aizuwakamatsu. No damage to people or property was reported.
Aizuwakamatsu Yugawaminami, Fukushima
At around 09:45 on April 28, 2026, a single bear about 1 meter long was sighted in the fields at Fukuroda Aza-Miya, Sukagawa City, by a person driving by; the bear then left toward fields to the north. No injuries or damage have been reported; police are patrolling by patrol car and coordinating with Sukagawa City Hall.
Sukagawa 袋田, Fukushima
Around 4:18 PM on 2026-05-25, a bear was sighted in Takadama Futate, Atami-machi, Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture.
Koriyama, Fukushima
Around 6:40 AM on May 25, a bear was sighted in Iwahara, Inawashiro Town, Fukushima Prefecture.
Inawashiro 字城南, Fukushima
A teenage boy on the way home from school sighted one bear, about 1.5 meters long, in a pasture area in Daito, Dakeonsen, Nihonmatsu City.
Nihonmatsu 岳温泉大和, Fukushima
Around 5:00 PM on May 20, a bear was sighted in Sarashina Tohei, Bandai Town, Fukushima.
Bandai, Fukushima
Around 08:15 on May 19, 2026, a park user and a manager spotted one bear about 1 meter long at the 'Kodomo no Mori' park in Kuroiwa Hanamigaoka, Kadota-machi, Aizuwakamatsu City, and reported it to the Aizuwakamatsu Police via the city. The city has closed the park temporarily.
Aizuwakamatsu Yugawaminami, Fukushima
In Nagata 2-chome, Nihonmatsu City, at around 11:10 on May 18, a single bear approximately 1 meter long was observed on residential premises.
Nihonmatsu 永田鍛治内, Fukushima
Crossed National Route 49 from the recreation park side and entered the brush on the north side.
Inawashiro 大字翁沢, Fukushima
On May 16 at around 06:00, a resident in Niiza, Nihonmatsu City, saw a single bear about 1.5 meters long wandering in another house's grounds, climb over a fence, and head into the bushes. About an hour and a half later a bear was seen on a road, and around 16:00 one was seen in a cemetery; sightings were reported elsewhere in the prefecture and police have increased vigilance.
Nihonmatsu 新座, Fukushima
At around 16:15 on May 15, 2026, a woman spotted one bear about 0.5 meters long at the Japanese garden Shiki-no-Sato Ryokusui-en in Iwane Kawara, Motomiya City. The bear stayed on the premises briefly but then left toward the adjacent Iokawa River, and the city placed box traps in the nearby woods along the river.
Motomiya 岩根, Fukushima
On May 15 in the Atami Elementary area of Atami-machi, Koriyama City, there were two bear sightings. Around 07:00 a bear about 0.5 m long was seen running from a field into the forest in Takadama Asozawa, and at 09:15 another bear about 1 m long was seen crossing the JR Ban'etsu West Line tracks in Takadama Hirabayashi. The Koriyama North Police are on alert.
Koriyama, Fukushima
On May 14, 2026 at about 07:40, a bear approximately 1.0 m long was sighted on the riverbank in Aizuwakamatsu-shi, Higashiyama-cho Oaza Ishiyama Innai. The same day, another ~1.0 m bear was seen in Hanamigaoka 2-chome climbing a tree, a ~0.6 m bear was seen climbing a residential fence in Hanamigaoka 1-chome, and a ~0.5 m bear was observed walking along a forest road and entering woodland in Shirakawa-shi, Daisin Masumi Oaza Ohninata — four bears were reported in total.
Aizuwakamatsu Higashiyamamachi-Ishiyama, Fukushima
At about 18:45 on May 13, 2026, a single bear approximately 1 meter long was seen in Iwane Aza Nakamaeda, Motomiya City, running toward the forest and running away.
Motomiya 岩根, Fukushima
At around 14:15 on the 13th, a man in his 70s spotted a bear about 1 meter long in woodland in Higashiyama-machi, Aizuwakamatsu. The bear climbed into the forest and fled; the man was not injured.
Aizuwakamatsu Tenneijimachi, Fukushima
At around 05:05 on May 13, in a municipal road in Shibukawa Kubo, Nihonmatsu City, a woman in her 50s walking her dog sighted a bear about 1 meter long entering the forest from the road. The witness was not injured, and police are on alert in the area.
Nihonmatsu 上原, Fukushima
Just after noon on May 12, a single animal believed to be a bear about 0.5 m long was sighted in a cemetery in Kuroiwa, Kanda-machi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture. The animal walked toward the mountain to the east and its whereabouts are currently unknown; no injuries or damage have been confirmed. Police continue patrols by cruiser and are sharing information with Aizuwakamatsu City Hall.
Aizuwakamatsu Mondenmachi-Oyama, Fukushima
At around 06:50 on May 12, in the area of the Ban-etsu Expressway (downward 75.6 km post) in Iwane, Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture, a man in his 60s witnessed a bear about 80 cm long crossing the highway from north to south. The bear went up the road embankment and no human injuries were reported; police are patrolling the area and urging caution.
Motomiya 岩根, Fukushima
On May 12, 2026, a single bear about 80 cm long was seen crossing the Ban-etsu Expressway in Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture.
Motomiya 岩根, Fukushima
Around 14:40 on the 7th, a man walking on a promenade in Kuroiwa, Motoda-machi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, sighted one bear about 1 meter long. The bear then walked south along the promenade, and no damage in the surrounding area has been reported so far.
Aizuwakamatsu Higashiyamamachi-Yumoto, Fukushima
A bear sighting was reported in Ōtama Village, Fukushima Prefecture. The bear is believed to be a single individual, and authorities have urged caution.
Otama Tamanoi, Fukushima
At about 14:50 on the 5th, a man in his 50s reported to the Inawashiro Police Station that he had sighted one bear about 1 meter long in a parking lot in Tsumachi, Inawashiro Town. The bear fled into the forest east of the parking lot, and the police are patrolling the area.
Inawashiro 字並杉西, Fukushima
A bear was walking south from Iwahashi Shrine.
Inawashiro 字西峰, Fukushima
At around 13:50 on May 4, a single bear about 1 meter long was spotted along Route 49 near Ogasawara Goten-yama (Ogasawa), Inawashiro Town. No human or property damage has been confirmed so far, and the police have warned the public to be cautious.
Inawashiro 大字翁沢, Fukushima
At around 09:20 on May 4, a single bear was sighted up in a tree in Kuroiwa, Monden-machi, Aizuwakamatsu City. The police have warned residents to be cautious, and no injuries or property damage have been reported so far.
Aizuwakamatsu Higashiyamamachi-Yumoto, Fukushima
Around 17:30 on April 30, a man in Hanamigaoka, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, sighted one bear about 50 cm long in the brush of a mountain forest. No damage has been confirmed in the area; the police are patrolling with patrol cars and coordinating with the Aizuwakamatsu City Hall to respond.
Aizuwakamatsu Takaramachi, 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 15:05 on April 29, 2026, a man collecting wild plants at the edge of the ski slope in the Minero area of Inawashiro Ski Resort, Nakamaruyama, Inawashiro Town, Fukushima Prefecture, sighted one bear about 1.2 meters long. The bear returned to the woods afterward, and no injuries or property damage were reported.
Inawashiro 字葉山, Fukushima
On 2026-04-29 at around 08:45, a single bear about 1 meter long was seen walking on the riverbed in Yukawaminami, Aizuwakamatsu. No damage to people or property was reported.
Aizuwakamatsu Yugawaminami, Fukushima
Peak activity at 6:00 with 4 incidents
Ursus thibetanus japonicus
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In the past 30 days, 35 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 6 of them.
The latest sighting was reported 1 day ago near Koriyama, Fukushima.
Recent sightings on this route peak around 6:00. Bears are generally most active at dawn and dusk.
This 171 km route runs from Komine Castle to Nihonmatsu Castle within Fukushima. In the past 30 days, 35 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 6 of them. The latest sighting was reported 1 day ago near Koriyama, Fukushima. This is an active bear corridor. Drive through with full caution, but rerouting is the safer choice.
