This 908 km route from Misaki to Sakata crosses Osaka, Mie, Niigata, Yamagata, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nara, Shiga, and Toyama. Over the past 30 days, 51 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of the route, including 14 in the past week. This route runs through Asian black bear habitat (native to Honshu and Shikoku). The most recent sighting was reported 19 hours ago near Itoigawa, Niigata; the location sits about 579.7 km from the start of the route and 221 m off the route line. The closest sighting to the route line was reported 1 week ago at Itoigawa 大字外波, Niigata, sitting about 573.5 km from the start and 1 m off the route line.
This is an active bear corridor. Rerouting or rescheduling your hike is strongly advised.
15 places within 1 km of your route, passing through Osaka, Mie, Niigata, Yamagata, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nara, Shiga, Toyama.
Before 06:00 on the 7th, a bear about 1.5 meters long was sighted in the mountains of Aomi Miyahanamachi, Itoigawa City, about 100 meters from a residence (Itoigawa police).
Itoigawa, Niigata
Sighted one bear
Itoigawa, Niigata
On May 7, 2026, a bear sighting was reported in Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture. The article does not give specific details on the exact location, time, or number of bears.
Itoigawa 中央, Niigata
Fukui Sakashitacho, Fukui
One bear sighted
Toyama, Toyama
Awara 笹岡, Fukui
One bear spotted heading toward the back/eastern mountain
Itoigawa, Niigata
Around 06:00 on May 1, 2026, a single bear was sighted near the Kamiichi River in Uonomi, Namerikawa (Toyama). The city and police patrolled but did not find the bear. Tanaka Elementary closed temporarily, Namerikawa Junior High canceled club activities and adjusted student dismissal, and Namerikawa High School postponed an event; authorities urged caution.
Namerikawa, Toyama
Near the left bank by the mouth of the Kamichigawa River, someone witnessed what appeared to be a bear poke its head out of the bushes.
Namerikawa, Toyama
A resident discovered signs that a bear had eaten bamboo shoots in the mountain forest.
Asahi, Toyama
Around 06:00 on May 1, 2026, one bear was sighted near the riverbank about 200 meters upstream from the mouth of the Kamiichi River in Namerikawa City, Toyama Prefecture. Police searched the area but found no trace or footprints; nearby Tanaka Elementary School closed temporarily and surrounding schools and residents were affected.
Namerikawa, Toyama
Toyama City conducted an emergency cull on the afternoon of April 30 and eliminated one bear at 12:59 PM that had caused a human injury. The culled bear was a male approximately 150 cm long, weighing 110 kg and estimated to be 7 years old; it was found hiding in a thicket about 200 meters north of the attack site.
Toyama, Toyama
In Toyama City, a woman in her 40s walking was attacked, and on the afternoon of April 30 an emergency shooting operation killed a male bear measuring 150 cm and weighing 110 kg (estimated 7 years old). The cull took place in a thicket about 200 meters north of the site where the woman was attacked.
Toyama, Toyama
Bear tracks discovered
Kamiichi, Toyama
Fukui Kaminakacho, Fukui
In Toyama City, a woman in her 40s was attacked; a single male bear approximately 150 cm long, about 110 kg in weight, and estimated to be 7 years old was found in a thicket about 200 meters north of the scene and was culled.
Toyama, Toyama
On the night of April 29, 2026, a woman in her 40s was attacked by a bear in a residential area of Toyama City. A prefectural police helicopter equipped with a thermal scope detected a heat source from above and pinpointed the bear's hiding place; authorities issued an Asiatic black bear sighting warning.
Toyama, Toyama
Eiheiji 松岡小畑, Fukui
Fukui Sakashitacho, Fukui
Around 19:30 on the previous day, a woman in her 40s walking her dog in a residential area of Toyama City was attacked by a bear that emerged from an irrigation canal, suffering scratches to her face and head. She was taken to hospital by nearby residents and is not in life-threatening condition; police and the city, together with a hunters' association, are conducting searches and patrols but the bear has not been found and its size is unknown.
Toyama, Toyama
In a residential area of Toyama City, a woman in her 40s who was walking her dog was attacked by a bear that jumped out of an irrigation canal, suffering injuries to her face and head. The incident occurred on the evening of April 29, 2026.
Toyama, Toyama
Around 13:00, a passerby reported seeing a bear cub to the reception at Fudōji Temple, and the report was forwarded to the Agriculture and Forestry Promotion Division via the Commerce, Industry and Tourism Division. Because the witness could not stay to accompany officials, no on-site inspection was carried out; however, the location was inferred based on the details of the report.
Oyabe, Ishikawa
Eiheiji 山, Fukui
Awara 矢地, Fukui
On the afternoon of April 26, 2026, a security guard spotted a bear near Kurikara Fudoji in Tsubata Town, Ishikawa Prefecture. Town staff and members of the hunters' association patrolled the area, and the bear reportedly fled into the mountain opposite the festival site.
Tsubata Kurikara, Ishikawa
Around 13:50 on April 26, a bear about 70 cm long was sighted on a road near Kurikara Fudo-ji in Tsubata Town, Ishikawa Prefecture. A security guard observed the bear, which ran toward the mountain away from the festival site; town staff and the local hunters' association are patrolling the area and urging caution.
Tsubata Kurikara, Ishikawa
At around 13:50, an event security guard at the Yaezakura Festival reported via the Commerce and Tourism Division that a bear cub (about 70 cm in body length) had been sighted. A field inspection was conducted, but no traces or evidence were found.
Oyabe, Ishikawa
Fukui Hananotanicho, Fukui
Eiheiji 東古市, Fukui
Observed one adult bear near the cowshed
Tateyama 日中上野, Toyama
At around 05:15 on April 25, 2026, an adult bear was sighted in the Yotsuyao area of Tateyama Town (near the terrace). Residents in the vicinity are being advised to exercise caution.
Tateyama, Toyama
Around 17:00 on April 24, a bear about 1 meter long was sighted in Sotoba, Itoigawa City, and was observed very close to a residence (Itoigawa Police).
Itoigawa 大字外波, Niigata
Sighted one bear
Itoigawa 大字外波, Niigata
On April 24, 2026, a bear sighting was reported in Itoigawa City. The article provides no specific location, time, or number of bears.
Itoigawa 中央, Niigata
On the night of April 20, an AI camera in the mountainside of Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture, captured an adult bear. Authorities have urged nearby residents to be cautious.
Tonami 新又, Toyama
One bear was detected by the AI bear camera.
Tonami 塩浅, Toyama
A local resident who went to collect bamboo shoots sighted a bear about intermediate in size between a cub and an adult.
Uozu 宮津, Toyama
One bear was sighted in the Itōigawa area, Kamihayakawa district, within the Dokura vicinity near the Dokura community center. It moved east.
Itoigawa 大字土倉, Niigata
Awara 矢地, Fukui
Around 15:50 on April 14, 2026, a resident sighted what appeared to be a bear cub in the Shimotata forest area of Osawano, Toyama City (about 150 m east of National Route 41). There are a housing complex and a certified childcare center nearby; police and the hunters' association patrolled but could not find the bear and are considering setting a box trap.
Toyama Sakuragicho, Toyama
Along the return route from Oku-Biwako Parkway
Nagahama Kinomotocho-Hannoura, Shiga
There were claw marks on the tree, and tracks were seen nearby.
Uozu 大字六郎丸村, Toyama
On May 7, 2026, a bear sighting was reported in Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture. The article does not give specific details on the exact location, time, or number of bears.
Itoigawa 中央, Niigata
On May 5 a man's body was found in a forested area of Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture, with wounds to the head and arms. The prefectural police are investigating the possibility of a bear attack, and one bear was culled near the discovery shortly after the body was found.
Sakata 字下瀬, Yamagata
Around 2:40 a.m. on May 1, 2026, one bear was sighted on the south side of an intersection near Hikarigaoka Athletic Stadium in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture. The city is urging people not to approach and to report sightings to the police or city authorities.
Sakata 新町, Yamagata
Around 02:30 on May 1, 2026, a single adult bear about 1 meter long was seen by a passerby near the Hikarigaoka Athletic Stadium in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture, at an intersection where a national and prefectural road meet, and was reported to the city. No further sightings have been reported, and the city has urged residents to keep warehouse and garage entrances closed.
Sakata 新町, Yamagata
Around 9:30 a.m. on April 28, an adult bear was sighted in the urban area of Sakanobe-Shinden, Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture; the bear reportedly ran south toward farmland.
Sakata 坂野辺新田, Yamagata
On April 24, 2026, a bear sighting was reported in Itoigawa City. The article provides no specific location, time, or number of bears.
Itoigawa 中央, Niigata
While driving a car, I spotted one bear.
Joetsu 名立区大菅, Niigata
While passing through the area, a person sighted one cub.
Tainai 松波, Niigata
Observed one bear heading toward Omi near Osawa Bridge on the Osawa-Morimoto municipal road
Itoigawa 大字大沢, Niigata
One bear was sighted in the Itōigawa area, Kamihayakawa district, within the Dokura vicinity near the Dokura community center. It moved east.
Itoigawa 大字土倉, Niigata
Around 06:00 on 2026-04-16, one bear (about 1 meter long, believed to be an adult) was sighted near the municipal funeral hall in Hamana, Sakata City, Yamagata. In the same area, about 50 kg of nearly-harvested strawberries were found eaten in a Shiritaka (十里塚) greenhouse on the 12th, and about 7 kg were eaten in a Sakanobe Shinden greenhouse on the morning of the 16th; the city has set box traps and installed electric fences and sensor cameras as countermeasures.
Sakata 浜中, Yamagata
At around 16:55 on April 15, 2026, one bear was sighted in Hamanaka, Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture. The article reports only the sighting time and location and provides no further details.
Sakata 浜中, Yamagata
Peak activity at 6:00 with 6 incidents
Ursus thibetanus japonicus
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Over the past 30 days, 51 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of this route, including 14 in the past week. This route runs through Asian black bear habitat (native to Honshu and Shikoku).
The most recent sighting was reported 19 hours ago near Itoigawa, Niigata; the location sits about 579.7 km from the start of the route and 221 m off the route line.
Recent sightings on this route peak around 6:00. Bears are generally most active at dawn and dusk.
This 908 km route from Misaki to Sakata crosses Osaka, Mie, Niigata, Yamagata, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nara, Shiga, and Toyama. Over the past 30 days, 51 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of the route, including 14 in the past week. This route runs through Asian black bear habitat (native to Honshu and Shikoku). The most recent sighting was reported 19 hours ago near Itoigawa, Niigata; the location sits about 579.7 km from the start of the route and 221 m off the route line. The closest sighting to the route line was reported 1 week ago at Itoigawa 大字外波, Niigata, sitting about 573.5 km from the start and 1 m off the route line. This is an active bear corridor. Rerouting or rescheduling your hike is strongly advised.
