This 120 km route from Takatō Castle to Ueno crosses Nagano, Gunma, and Yamanashi. Over the past 30 days, 5 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of the route, including 3 in the past week. This route runs through Asian black bear habitat (native to Honshu and Shikoku). The most recent sighting was reported 3 days ago near Hara, Nagano; the location sits about 35.2 km from the start of the route and 1.1 km off the route line. The closest sighting to the route line was reported 4 days ago at Fujimi, Nagano, sitting about 34.2 km from the start and 65 m off the route line.
With activity this close, make noise as you hike, carry bear spray, and avoid the forest at dawn and dusk.
2 places within 1 km of your route, passing through Nagano, Gunma, Yamanashi.
Around 10:20 on May 4, a bear about 1.0–1.1 m long was sighted near the restaurant grounds in Nakashinden, Haramura (Suwa District), Nagano Prefecture; police and hunters responded. In the afternoon it was immobilized with a dart gun, captured and subsequently euthanized by the village authorities; no injuries or property damage were reported.
Hara, Nagano
At around 10:20 on May 4, 2026, a single adult bear (about 1.1 m long, approximately 45 kg) was sighted on the grounds of a restaurant/residence and nearby house in Shinmida, Hara Village, Suwa District, Nagano Prefecture. Police, hunting association members and village staff responded and the bear was sedated with a tranquilizer gun and captured at about 13:40; it was subsequently euthanized. No injuries or damage to buildings were reported.
Hara, Nagano
Near the Chuo Expressway Suwa-Minami interchange in Hara village, a bear was seen on a home's premises after 10:00 AM and was captured with a tranquilizer gun about four hours later on another home's grounds. The animal, about 1.1 meters long and believed to be a young individual, had repeatedly raided nearby beehives and was culled by the village after capture. No injuries were reported.
Fujimi, Nagano
On April 30 at around 14:30, the owner of a restaurant near the Misayama signal intersection in Hara Village reported seeing a roughly 1-meter bear in the garage. Village staff, police and hunting association members arrived but the bear had already left; footprints and droppings were found nearby, and no damage has been confirmed.
Hara, Nagano
Around 14:30 on April 30, 2026, a single bear about 1 meter long entered the garage of Restaurant Petika in Hara village, Nagano Prefecture, destroyed a beehive box kept years earlier and left droppings. The bear got briefly caught in a garden net, freed itself and fled into the woods; the village set two box traps.
Hara, Nagano
Peak activity at 10:00 with 3 incidents
Ursus thibetanus japonicus
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Over the past 30 days, 5 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of this route, including 3 in the past week. This route runs through Asian black bear habitat (native to Honshu and Shikoku).
The most recent sighting was reported 3 days ago near Hara, Nagano; the location sits about 35.2 km from the start of the route and 1.1 km off the route line.
Recent sightings on this route peak around 10:00. Bears are generally most active at dawn and dusk.
This 120 km route from Takatō Castle to Ueno crosses Nagano, Gunma, and Yamanashi. Over the past 30 days, 5 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of the route, including 3 in the past week. This route runs through Asian black bear habitat (native to Honshu and Shikoku). The most recent sighting was reported 3 days ago near Hara, Nagano; the location sits about 35.2 km from the start of the route and 1.1 km off the route line. The closest sighting to the route line was reported 4 days ago at Fujimi, Nagano, sitting about 34.2 km from the start and 65 m off the route line. With activity this close, make noise as you hike, carry bear spray, and avoid the forest at dawn and dusk.
