Kamikochi in July - should I be worried about bears?
Going to Kamikochi for 3 days in July. Planning Dakesawa and possibly Okuhotaka.
13 people killed by bears in 2025, military sent to Akita, US and UK issued travel advisories. That's alarming.
But how is Kamikochi specifically? The trails seem popular. Has anyone been recently? How crowded are the trails in summer?
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Nagano Prefecture has 3,395 tracked incidents on Kumamap, but Kamikochi's main trails are among the busiest in Japan. Thousands walk them daily in summer. Bears avoid that level of foot traffic.
The Kappabashi boardwalk and Myojin Pond trails are very low risk because of the crowds. Dakesawa and routes toward Okuhotaka are wilder and the risk goes up there. Bring spray and a bell for those sections.
July is peak season, which is actually your best safety asset. Bears are most active at dawn and dusk, so start after 6:30 AM and don't push into twilight.
The 2025 crisis was concentrated in Tohoku. Akita alone has 20,807 incidents. The Northern Alps had activity but was not the epicenter.
Matsumoto area nearby: 135 incidents. Check before your trip: kumamap.com/en/areas/nagano