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This 142 km route runs from Mount Zaō to Mount Gassan within Yamagata. In the past 30 days, 14 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 4 of them. The latest sighting was reported 4 days ago near Sagae 大字慈恩寺, Yamagata.
At this density of recent sightings, be ready to brake at any moment and avoid stopping in flagged stretches.
One bear was sighted in the Jionji area of Sagae City.
Sagae 大字慈恩寺, Yamagata
At around 07:30 on May 21, 2026, an animal resembling a bear was sighted in Matsubara, Yamagata City. The article is partially behind a paywall and detailed information about the sighting was not provided.
Yamagata Matsubara, Yamagata
On May 20, 2026 at about 14:50, two bears about 1 meter long were sighted in the Chuo Industrial Park in Sagae City; they were reported moving from near the Chateraise factory toward the TPR factory.
Sagae 中央工業団地, Yamagata
On the afternoon of the 20th, a bear was sighted in the central industrial park of Sagae City, Yamagata Prefecture; about 30 minutes later city staff saw two bears near a neighboring factory, and around 16:30 there was another bear sighting at a different factory. The city believes the bears likely left the industrial park, firefighters are searching with drones, and after sunset they plan to contain and capture any bears found.
Sagae 中央工業団地, Yamagata
Around 06:30 on 2026-05-18, one bear-like animal was sighted in a grove in Miharaishi-no-oka, Yamagata City. The city closed a nearby observation deck and used public announcement vehicles to warn local residents.
Yamagata Kurosawa, Yamagata
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 7:00 a.m. on April 30, 2026, one bear believed to be an adult was sighted in the urban area of Yōgai in Yamanobe Town, Yamagata Prefecture.
Yamanobe 大字要害, Yamagata
At around 06:20 on April 30, 2026, a single bear was sighted moving from the Omi area of Yamabe Town toward Otsuka and Yōgai districts in Yamagata Prefecture. No human or property damage has been confirmed so far, and the police have warned residents that the bear may be hiding nearby.
Yamanobe 近江, Yamagata
Around 06:00 on April 30, one bear believed to be an adult was sighted in the urban area of Otsuka, Yamanobe Town, Yamagata Prefecture. The scene was only a few hundred meters from a location in Oumi where a bear was also sighted around the same time.
Yamanobe 大字大塚, Yamagata
In the early morning of April 29, 2026 (around 00:00), an adult bear was sighted in the residential area of Futukamachi, Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture. No further sightings were reported; the city and police urged residents to be cautious, and the prefecture has issued a bear alert.
Kaminoyama 北町, Yamagata
Around 00:00 on April 29, 2026, a passerby spotted one bear along Maegawa in Futsukamachi 1-chome, Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture, and reported it to the police. No damage has been reported since the sighting; the city is distributing flyers to nearby residents and issuing cautions.
Kaminoyama 北町, Yamagata
In the early morning of 2026-04-29, a bear, appearing as a dark mass, was filmed along the Maegawa north of the Kaminoyama City Comprehensive Children's Center Mengoria in Futukamachi, Kaminoyama City. Sightings have been frequent across the prefecture, and the prefectural government has issued a bear warning.
Kaminoyama 北町, Yamagata
At around 16:15 on the 27th, one bear was sighted in the Mihara-shi no Oka area of Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture. The bear reportedly ran from the west side of New Truck Kaminoyama toward the solar panel area, and the city has issued a caution.
Kaminoyama みはらしの丘, Yamagata
Yamagata Prefecture issued its first bear-sighting advisory of the fiscal year on April 27 after a total of five bear sightings in urban areas such as Tsuruoka and Tendo during the week through April 26. At around 16:00 on April 27, one bear was observed in a residential area in Mihara-shi no Oka, Kaminoyama City.
Yamagata Kurosawa, Yamagata
Peak activity at 6:00 with 3 incidents
Ursus thibetanus japonicus
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In the past 30 days, 14 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 4 of them.
The latest sighting was reported 4 days ago near Sagae 大字慈恩寺, Yamagata.
Recent sightings on this route peak around 6:00. Bears are generally most active at dawn and dusk.
This 142 km route runs from Mount Zaō to Mount Gassan within Yamagata. In the past 30 days, 14 bear sightings were reported within 5 km of the route. The past 7 days account for 4 of them. The latest sighting was reported 4 days ago near Sagae 大字慈恩寺, Yamagata. At this density of recent sightings, be ready to brake at any moment and avoid stopping in flagged stretches.
