News Black Bear Nozawa Onsen Village, Nagano Dec 4, 2025

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

Coordinates

36.922846, 138.440510

Sources