Location
Description
On 2025-12-04, a 78-year-old man shoveling snow in the hot-spring area of Nozawa Onsen Village, Nagano Prefecture, was attacked by a bear and sustained injuries to his face and legs. In response, the prefecture issued a Asiatic black bear (tsukinowaguma) sighting advisory for the Hokushin region (Dec 4–12).
Note: Official sources provide information in Japanese only. This description has been machine translated for your convenience.
Bear Type
Black Bear
Number of Bears
1
Provider Type
News
Date & Time
Thursday, December 4, 2025
Address
Nozawa Onsen Village, Nagano
Coordinates
36.922846, 138.440510
Related Areas
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Comments (1)
A bear in the hot-spring area itself in December is unusual enough, but I wonder if it had been lurking around the village for days before the encounter on the 4th.
Hiking in bear country
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