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This 247 km route runs from Kumagaya to Lake Hibara, passing through Saitama, Fukushima, Gunma, and Tochigi. In the past 30 days, 39 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 4 of them. The latest sighting was reported 3 days ago near Kitashiobara, Fukushima.
This is an active bear corridor. Drive through with full caution, but rerouting is the safer choice.
2 places within 1 km of your route, passing through Saitama, Fukushima, Gunma, Tochigi.
It headed toward Lake Hibara.
Kitashiobara, Fukushima
Nasushiobara 千本松, Tochigi
One bear approximately 1.5 meters in length was sighted.
Koriyama 逢瀬町河内, Fukushima
One bear appeared in an apartment complex parking lot in Kaminish, Inawashiro Town.
Inawashiro 字上村西, Fukushima
Around 7:30 AM on July 24, a bear was sighted in Tsuboyo Minamihama, Inawashiro Town.
Inawashiro 大字金田, Fukushima
In the woodland, one bear (body length approximately 1.2 meters) was sighted.
Shirakawa 大信豊地, Fukushima
A bear about 1.2 m long was sighted in the forest at Daishin Toyochi, Shirakawa City.
Shirakawa 大信豊地, Fukushima
Three bears (lengths unknown) were sighted in the mountains beside the municipal road.
Inawashiro 字堤東, Fukushima
Around 7:20 PM on 2026-07-22, a bear was sighted in Iwasato-Ueno, Inawashiro Town, Fukushima Prefecture.
Inawashiro 字五十軒道南, Fukushima
Sano 田之入町, Tochigi
One bear (approximately 1 meter in body length) was sighted in the forested area on the east side of Prefectural Route 322.
Inawashiro 大字八幡, Fukushima
One bear (about 1 meter in body length) was sighted on a residential property but left for the forest.
Motomiya 荒井, Fukushima
On the morning of 2026-07-20, a bear was seen moving in Arai Hayama, Motomiya City, Fukushima.
Motomiya 荒井, Fukushima
A bear was sighted in Toyomae-hama, Inawashiro Town.
Inawashiro 大字金田, Fukushima
One bear (approximately 1 meter in length) was sighted beside National Route 49.
Inawashiro 大字金田, Fukushima
One bear (about 1 meter in body length) was sighted.
Inawashiro 大字金田, Fukushima
Koriyama, Fukushima
Koriyama, Fukushima
A vehicle collided with one bear on the Bandai Mountain Gold Line in Hibara, Kitashiobara Village.
Kitashiobara, Fukushima
Around 18:20 on 2026-07-19, one bear about 1.2 m long was sighted in farmland in Fujicho, Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture.
Sano 富士町, Tochigi
Nasushiobara 上大貫, Tochigi
Sano 富士町, Tochigi
One bear was inside a building lot in Dōmachi Minami, Inawashiro Town.
Inawashiro 字並杉西, Fukushima
One bear (approximately 1 meter in body length) was sighted.
Inawashiro 字並杉西, Fukushima
One bear (approximately 1 meter in body length) was sighted on the roadway.
Motomiya 荒井, Fukushima
A bear was sighted in Arai Hayama, Motomiya City, Fukushima, around 4:30 PM on July 17, 2026.
Motomiya 荒井, Fukushima
One bear approximately 1 meter in body length was sighted. The bear has since already departed.
Koriyama, Fukushima
A bear was sighted in Naka-yasuda, Atami-machi, Koriyama City around 6:00 PM on July 16.
Koriyama, Fukushima
A single bear (about 1.5 meters in body length) was sighted in the grassy area north of National Route 49.
Inawashiro 大字金田, Fukushima
Around 6:10 PM on 2026-07-14, a bear was sighted in Nishi-Iwasaki, Nasushiobara City.
Nasushiobara 西岩崎, Tochigi
A single bear (approximately 1 meter in body length) was sighted on the paved road.
Inawashiro 字城南, Fukushima
Around 6:50 PM on 2026-07-13, an animal believed to be a bear was sighted in Otawa, Fujioka-machi, Tochigi City.
Tochigi Fujiokamachi Ōdawa, Tochigi
Tochigi Fujiokamachi Ōdawa, Tochigi
Nasushiobara 塩野崎, Tochigi
Nasushiobara 春日町, Tochigi
A bear was sighted in Tsuboyo Minamihama, Inawashiro Town, Fukushima, around 09:30 on July 6.
Inawashiro 大字金田, Fukushima
A bear was sighted in Shimotano, Nasushiobara City, around 8:30 a.m. on July 3.
Nasushiobara 下田野, Tochigi
Nasushiobara 下田野, Tochigi
On Thursday, July 2 at approximately 11:25 a.m., near the 98.2-kilometer post on the outbound (up) lanes of the Ban-etsu Expressway in Katada, Inawashiro Town, a driver in his 40s observed a single bear (about 1 m in length) crossing the highway from the north side to the south side (toward the center of the road) while traveling on the outbound Ban-etsu Expressway (toward Iwaki). When the witness’s vehicle approached, the bear left toward the north side of the road.
Inawashiro 大字千代田, Fukushima
Peak activity at 18:00 with 6 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, 39 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 4 of them.
The latest sighting was reported 3 days ago near Kitashiobara, Fukushima.
Recent sightings on this route peak around 18:00. Bears are generally most active at dawn and dusk.
This 247 km route runs from Kumagaya to Lake Hibara, passing through Saitama, Fukushima, Gunma, and Tochigi. In the past 30 days, 39 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 4 of them. The latest sighting was reported 3 days ago near Kitashiobara, Fukushima. This is an active bear corridor. Drive through with full caution, but rerouting is the safer choice.
