This 210 km route from Zaō Quasi-National Park to Kitakami crosses Miyagi and Iwate. Over the past 30 days, 55 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of the route, including 11 in the past week. This route runs through Asian black bear habitat (native to Honshu and Shikoku). The most recent sighting was reported 1 day ago near Sendai Aobayama, Miyagi; the location sits about 66.6 km from the start of the route and 3.6 km off the route line. The closest sighting to the route line was reported 3 weeks ago at Ohira 奥田, Miyagi, sitting about 95.7 km from the start and 12 m off the route line.
This is an active bear corridor. Drive through with full caution, but rerouting is the safer choice.
At around 06:40 on May 11 in the riverside area of Hirose River near Kokusai Center Station (under the subway Tozai Line) in Aoba Ward, Sendai, a man walking his dog reported seeing two bears—believed to be a parent and cub—about 1.5 m and 0.8 m long. The bears left the scene; police patrolled for about an hour and no further sightings were reported.
Sendai Aobayama, Miyagi
At around 06:30 on the 11th, two bears believed to be a parent and cub were sighted on the banks of the Hirose River beside Nishi Park in Aoba Ward, Sendai. After 13:30 another bear was seen in a bamboo grove at a park in Komatsushima 4-chome; police and Sendai City are patrolling and have issued warnings to nearby schools and the university. The man who reported the sighting was not injured.
Sendai Sakuragaoka-koen, Miyagi
Around 15:30 on the 10th, a motorist passing on Prefectural Route 55 in Imozawa Ootakehara, Aoba Ward, Sendai, spotted a bear about 50 cm long and called emergency services. The bear left the road and entered the bushes; police are patrolling the area and advising caution.
Sendai Shimo-Ayashi, Miyagi
At about 08:30 on May 10, 2026, a single bear approximately 1 meter in length was sighted on a walking trail in Shiki no Mori within the Prefectural Forest in Tomiya City (Akashikami-Origemoto). When the walker increased the volume of a radio they were carrying, the bear left the area; there have been no further sightings and the management office is warning visitors over the park's PA system.
Tomiya, Miyagi
On the 9th in the mountains of Kaminoyama, a man who was gathering wild plants was attacked by a bear and suffered a serious injury, sustaining facial bone fractures. The bear was about one meter in body length. The scene was in the mountains about 500 meters south of Zao Bodaidaira (Kuraōbōdaira) parking lot in Kaminoyama.
Kaminoyama 菖蒲, Yamagata
At around 06:10 on the 9th, a person driving on the Sendai North Loop Road in Kamiyagari, Izumi Ward, Sendai, spotted a bear about 1 meter long crossing the road. The bear left toward the southern woods and there were no injuries or damage. Police say the sightings on May 6 and at 11:30 on the 9th may be of the same individual and are urging caution.
Sendai Izumichuo-minami, Miyagi
A single bear was seen crossing a road in Izumi Ward, Sendai. Multiple sightings have been reported nearby, and officials say it may be the same individual.
Sendai 寺岡, Miyagi
On the morning of May 8 a bear about 1 meter long was sighted on a road in Takano-hara 2-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai. A report came in around 08:30, police monitored the area and spotted one bear around 09:20, which quickly entered the bushes.
Sendai Imozawa, Miyagi
Around 22:00 on May 6 a person in a car sighted a bear about 1 meter long crossing the road at the intersection in front of a shopping mall in Kamiyatagari, Izumi-ku, Sendai. Police patrolled but did not find the bear and there were no injuries. Separately, a bear was sighted on a mountain near Otayachi Elementary School in Ishinomaki on May 2, so an evacuation drill scheduled for May 7 was canceled.
Sendai Izumichuo-minami, Miyagi
Around 22:00 on May 6, 2026, a single bear about 1 meter long was sighted near the intersection of the Sendai North Ring Road (Sendai Kita Kanjosen) at Kamiyatagari-Tatewaki, Izumi Ward, Sendai; it left toward the bushes. Police patrolled the area but did not find it afterward, and Izumitakeyama High School notified parents to be cautious by email.
Sendai Chomeigaoka-higashi, Miyagi
Around 22:00 on May 6, 2026, a female driver spotted a single bear about 1 meter long on a prefectural road in Kamitayagari, Izumi Ward, Sendai. The bear crossed a crosswalk at an intersection heading south and disappeared into nearby brush; police patrolled the area but received no further sightings.
Sendai Chomeigaoka-higashi, Miyagi
On the night of the 5th, a person in a car in Moniwa Hitokurita Higashi, Taihaku Ward, Sendai, spotted a bear about 1 meter long crossing the road at around 21:30. The bear headed toward the Natori River, and at 22:10 another sighting of a bear crossing a road was reported about 600 meters north in the Nihondaira residential area; police have issued a warning.
Sendai Nihondaira, Miyagi
Around 21:30 on May 5, a person in a car saw a bear about 1 meter long crossing the road in Moniwa Hitokurada Higashi, Taihaku Ward, Sendai (near the Tohoku Expressway Sendai Minami IC). Later, at about 22:10 the same day, a bear was also seen crossing a road in a residential area in Nihondaira, roughly 600 meters north of the first sighting.
Sendai Nihondaira, Miyagi
Around 17:35 on May 5, a resident spotted a bear about 1 meter long in a green strip in Nishikigaoka 9-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai. At 22:30 a bear, possibly the same individual, was seen sitting in green space opposite the road near the Sendai City Observatory in Nishikigaoka 5-chome; in all cases the bear left and no damage was reported.
Sendai Kami-Ayashi, Miyagi
On May 5, 2026 at around 17:30, a man walking in green space in Nishikigaoka 9-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai, spotted a bear about 1 meter long. After police patrols failed to find it, at about 22:30 the same day a bear believed to be the same individual was seen again near the Sendai Observatory, and the police urged caution.
Sendai Kami-Ayashi, Miyagi
At around 17:30 on May 5, in a green area of Nishikigaoka 9-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai, a walker sighted a bear about 1 meter long. Police patrolled but did not find it; roughly five hours later a bear of similar size was seen about 600 meters to the south in another green area, after which it fled southwest and was not seen again. Police warned it may be the same individual.
Sendai Kami-Ayashi, Miyagi
At around 20:10 on May 4, 2026, a teenage woman returning home spotted a single bear about 1 meter long rummaging through a plastic bag on a road near Kitayama Station (JR Senzan Line) in Yamatecho, Aoba-ku, Sendai. Police arrived but the bear had already left; no injuries or damage have been reported.
Sendai Kikutamachi, Miyagi
At around 20:10 on the 4th, a bear rummaging through what looked like a plastic bag on a road in Yamatecho, Aoba Ward, Sendai was reported by a teenage woman. The bear, about 1 meter long, had already left when police arrived; no injuries or damages have been reported, and police are warning residents near Kita-Yama Station on the Senzan Line.
Sendai Yamatemachi, Miyagi
At around 08:40 on May 2, 2026, one bear was sighted in Kozumi, Izumi Ward, Sendai City. The bear left the scene, and no damage to people or property was confirmed, according to the Izumi Police Station of Miyagi Prefectural Police.
Sendai Ogaku, Miyagi
One bear was sighted in Kozumi (小角), Izumi Ward, Sendai City. The article reports the sighting but does not mention any injuries or capture/dispatch.
Sendai Ogaku, Miyagi
On 2026-04-30 at about 19:35, a roughly 1‑meter bear was sighted near the north side of Tate Elementary School in Sendai City's Izumi Ward and reported to police. Later that day, bears of about the same size were also reported in Izumi Ward's Misawa area at 20:10 and in Furunai at 20:15; no injuries or property damage were reported and police are patrolling the area.
Sendai 館, Miyagi
Around 19:30 on April 30, a single bear about 1 meter long was seen crossing the road on the north side of Tate Elementary School in Tate 7-chome, Izumi Ward, Sendai; it headed toward Tate Sakura Park and left the scene. There were no injuries or property damage. A sighting was also reported in the Tate area on April 23.
Sendai 館, Miyagi
Body length 1 m, was walking
Natori Sogodai-Higashi 1-chome, Miyagi
At about 23:10 on April 29, 2026, a kei car driving south on a municipal road in Minaminakayama 5-chome, Izumi-ku, Sendai collided with a bear that ran out from the left. The bear, about 1.5 meters long, fled into shrubbery on the west side of the road after the collision; the driver, a man in his 50s, was uninjured but the vehicle's left front light was damaged. The bear's whereabouts are currently unknown.
Sendai 西中山, Miyagi
Around 23:10 on the 29th, a single bear about 1.5 meters long collided with a light passenger car in Minamunakayama 5-chome, Izumi Ward, Sendai. The car's left front was damaged but the male driver was not injured; the bear ran out from the east side of the road and left toward the woods on the west side.
Sendai 北中山, Miyagi
Around 16:20 on April 28, a passerby spotted a single bear about 70 cm long moving in the Nishikawa river in Tomiya-bussho, Tomiya City, and called emergency services. The bear moved in the river east of Route 4 and later departed to the west; there were no injuries, and police have stepped up warnings to nearby schools and increased vigilance.
Tomiya 富谷, Miyagi
Around 16:00 on April 28, a passerby reported to the police a bear about 70 cm long swimming in the Nishikawa in Tomiya Bussho, Tomiya City, Miyagi. The bear swam west toward forested hills; no injuries or damage to buildings have been confirmed.
Tomiya 富谷, Miyagi
At 02:45 on April 28, 2026, a roughly 1-meter-long bear was seen walking on a road in a residential area near Taihaku Park, Taihaku 1-chome, Sendai; a passing motorist reported it to police. The bear left northward into the woods; there were no injuries and police patrolled the area but did not find it.
Sendai Sahoyama, Miyagi
At around 17:40 on the 27th, a local resident in Kurihara City, Tsukidate-Tomebarato-no-ki, reported seeing a bear about 1.5 m long. Just after 01:00 on the 28th, another bear about 1 m long was seen crossing National Route 4 in Tsukidate-Terukoshi Eihei; no injuries were reported. Police are patrolling the area and urging caution.
Kurihara 築館字留場, Miyagi
At around 8:00 p.m. on the 26th, a single bear approximately 1.5 meters long was sighted in a rice field in Tsukidate Shinden, Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture. A local resident reported seeing it running north through the field; there have been no further sightings and the police are patrolling the area.
Kurihara 築館字新田東, Miyagi
At around 17:55 on April 26, 2026, a driver on Prefectural Route 16 spotted a single bear about 60 cm long sitting in a forested area in Ohira Village, Ohira Akasaka, Miyagi Prefecture. The bear later moved further into the woods and no further sightings have been reported; the police have stepped up patrols in the area.
Ohira 大衡, Miyagi
Stopped at a traffic light, I saw a bear crossing the road in the rearview mirror.
Tomiya ひより台二丁目, Miyagi
At around 19:30 on the 23rd, a bear about 1 meter long appeared in front of a man riding a bicycle on a municipal road in Tate 1-chome, Izumi Ward, Sendai, and then entered the woods. Tohoku High School's Izumi campus and Tate Elementary School sent mass emails to parents to warn them, and the police are urging residents to be cautious.
Sendai 館, Miyagi
At around 19:30 on April 23, a single bear about 1 meter long was sighted in front of the Sendai City Waterworks Yakata pumping station in Yakata, Izumi Ward, Sendai. A man on a bicycle saw the bear up close; it then fled south into the woods and police patrolled the area and warned residents.
Sendai 西中山, Miyagi
It crossed the Sangyo Road in Futago Ueno heading west and went into the woods.
Kitakami Shimooniyanagi, Iwate
On the night of April 22, 2026, three bears (believed to be a parent and cubs) were sighted in the brush of a park retention pond in Akenohira, Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture; city staff and police are on alert. No damage or subsequent sightings have been confirmed, and the nearby elementary school has urged students to wear bear bells and increased patrols during commutes.
Tomiya あけの平二丁目, Miyagi
Around 18:15 on April 22, 2026, three bears were sighted in the bushes (near a retention pond) of a park in Akenodaira 1-chome, Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture; city staff and police are on alert. The bears are believed to be a parent and cubs; no damage or further sightings have been confirmed, and on April 23 the city checked for footprints and climb marks and strengthened measures at the nearby elementary school (distributed bear bells and increased patrols).
Tomiya あけの平一丁目, Miyagi
At around 09:20 on April 22, 2026, a single bear about 1 meter long was sighted in a residential area in Goro-roku, Aoba Ward, Sendai, and moved north. Police patrolled the area and issued warnings, and there have been no further sightings.
Sendai Goroku, Miyagi
A bear that appeared in Kicho-dori 2-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai City was captured by the city using emergency shooting. The city received a total of 12 opinions regarding that decision, including protests such as "do not cull"; 5 were negative from an animal welfare perspective, 2 supported prompt removal, and 5 were comments on bear-countermeasure policies.
Sendai Futsukamachi, Miyagi
A single adult male bear (about 1.5 m long, 125 kg) remained in the shrubbery behind an apartment building in Kichōdori 2-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai. Contractors fired two darts with a tranquilizer gun in the early evening, and the bear was captured (and subsequently euthanized) around 19:30. No injuries were reported.
Sendai Futsukamachi, Miyagi
A single bear, believed to be the same individual sighted since the night of the 18th, remained in vegetation in Sendai's Aoba-ku, Kimachidori 2-chome from early on the 19th and, after staying for more than ten hours, was culled by an emergency shooting around 18:30 on April 19. The appearance in the city center shocked residents and prompted concern and precautions from nearby schools.
Sendai Futsukamachi, Miyagi
An adult male bear about 1.5 m long and 125 kg remained for over 10 hours in vegetation behind an apartment in central Sendai (Aoba-ku, Kichomachi-dori). The city fired two tranquilizer darts after 18:20 to sedate it and then euthanized it with an electric shock; there were no injuries.
Sendai Futsukamachi, Miyagi
On April 19, 2026, an adult male bear about 1.5 m long and weighing approximately 125 kg stayed for over 10 hours at a condominium in Komachidori 2-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai. The city tried to capture it using a box trap but failed; shortly after 18:20 a contractor fired two darting shots that hit, and the bear was subsequently euthanized with an electric prod; there were no injuries reported.
Sendai Futsukamachi, Miyagi
There was a rustling sound, and when I looked at the bushes it was a bear about one meter tall. (Around the junction)
Sendai Yamada-jiyugaoka, Miyagi
On April 19 in a residential area of Aoba Ward, Sendai, one adult bear about 1.5 m long was sighted and was removed under the city's "emergency shooting" system. The bear stayed on condominium grounds for about 10 hours; a box trap failed, so authorities used a dart gun and an electric spear to dispatch it. No injuries were reported.
Sendai Mukaida, Miyagi
At around 08:30 on April 19, 2026, a kei car driven by a man in his 20s collided with a bear on the outbound lanes of the Tohoku Expressway in Ohira Village, Miyagi Prefecture. The driver was uninjured; the bear was found dead at the scene and measured about 70 cm in length.
Ohira 奥田, Miyagi
A single bear about 1.5 m long remained for an extended period in the shrubs on the grounds of an apartment in Kimachidori 2-chome, Aoba-ku, Sendai. Police set up cordons and maintained surveillance while the city installed a box trap to capture the bear; no injuries have been reported.
Sendai Futsukamachi, Miyagi
A single male bear was sighted near an apartment in Kimachidori 2-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai. After drone confirmation and attempts with a cage trap, two anesthetic darts were fired shortly after 18:20 and the bear was captured around 19:30. It measured about 1.5 m and weighed about 125 kg; no injuries were reported.
Sendai Futsukamachi, Miyagi
Around 23:00 on April 18, a single bear about 1.5 meters long was spotted by several passersby on a city road in Tōrimachi 2-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai, and reported to police. Multiple nearby sightings were reported; the bear was believed to have left toward the Kashiwagi area or west, and police increased patrols and warned residents.
Sendai 通町, Miyagi
At around 20:45 on April 17, 2026, a bear was reported on a road in Kunimi 1-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai. The bear was about 1.5 m long and bear droppings were found nearby; the same individual was later seen around midnight on April 18 near nearby houses and on the grounds of a Tohoku University dormitory, and at 05:35 a.m. on a city road about 100 m west of Kita-Sendai Station. Police are patrolling and searching for the bear.
Sendai Chiyodamachi, Miyagi
At around 09:20 on April 17, a single bear about 1 meter long was sighted in woodland at Miyadoko-Yotsuji, Yamato Town, Miyagi Prefecture. Police patrolled the area after a report, but the bear had already left and no damage was reported. Miyadoko Junior High School is nearby, and the board of education has urged schools to be cautious.
Taiwa Ono, Miyagi
On the morning of April 16, 2026, one bear about 1 meter long was sighted at Okameyama Forest Park in Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture. The same park had a sighting on April 10; the city has put up warning signs, urged people not to go out alone, and the police are patrolling the area.
Tomiya 大亀, Miyagi
At around 9:00 a.m. on the 16th, a single bear about 1 meter long was sighted in a forest near a residential area in Ogame, Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture, and the witness reported it. Police are urging nearby residents and passersby to be cautious.
Tomiya 大亀, Miyagi
Around 22:40 on April 14, a man riding a motorcycle spotted one bear on a road in Futabagaoka 2-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai. Police patrolled the area and warned residents; no injuries or damage have been reported.
Sendai Fujimatsu, Miyagi
Around 05:00 on April 14, 2026, a single bear about 1 meter long was seen crossing a road near Minamiyoshinari Junior High School in Minamiyoshinari 5-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai. The bear headed west into the nearby forest, no injuries have been reported, and police are patrolling the area and issuing cautions.
Sendai 南吉成, Miyagi
Peak activity at 9:00 with 5 incidents
Ursus thibetanus japonicus
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Over the past 30 days, 55 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of this route, including 11 in the past week. This route runs through Asian black bear habitat (native to Honshu and Shikoku).
The most recent sighting was reported 1 day ago near Sendai Aobayama, Miyagi; the location sits about 66.6 km from the start of the route and 3.6 km off the route line.
Recent sightings on this route peak around 9:00. Bears are generally most active at dawn and dusk.
This 210 km route from Zaō Quasi-National Park to Kitakami crosses Miyagi and Iwate. Over the past 30 days, 55 bear sightings have been recorded within 5 km of the route, including 11 in the past week. This route runs through Asian black bear habitat (native to Honshu and Shikoku). The most recent sighting was reported 1 day ago near Sendai Aobayama, Miyagi; the location sits about 66.6 km from the start of the route and 3.6 km off the route line. The closest sighting to the route line was reported 3 weeks ago at Ohira 奥田, Miyagi, sitting about 95.7 km from the start and 12 m off the route line. This is an active bear corridor. Drive through with full caution, but rerouting is the safer choice.
