
News Black Bear Nozawa Onsen Village, Nagano Dec 4, 2025
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.
Summary
After a 78-year-old man was injured by a bear while shoveling snow in the hot-spring area of Nozawa Onsen Village, Nagano Prefecture issued a tsukinowaguma sighting advisory for the Hokushin region (Dec 4–12), covering Nakano, Iiyama, Yamanouchi, Kijimadaira, Nozawa Onsen and Sakae. The prefecture warned that some bears may not hibernate, and urged measures such as proper garbage management, pruning or early harvest of fruit trees, and extra caution in mornings and evenings.
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
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.
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