Nikko~Lake Sagami 하이킹 루트

A bear was sighted in Hirayama, Nagai City, Yamagata Prefecture, around 6:35 a.m. on July 19.

Nagai 平山, Yamagata

Sighted running into nearby scrub woodland / Environment: Around houses / Size: Adult

Nagai 宮, Yamagata

Environment: Road / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Kuchitazawa, Yamagata

Environment: riverbed / Size: cub

Kawanishi 大字東大塚, Yamagata

One bear was sighted in Takayama, Kawanishi Town, Yamagata, swimming downstream in the Mogami River.

Kawanishi 大字高山, Yamagata

Encountered a bear about 70 centimeters tall on the prefectural road while driving; it climbed up the cliff and ran away.

Nikkō 黒部, Tochigi

A bear was sighted in Itazawa, Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima, around 9:00 on July 11.

Minamiaizu Itozawa, Fukushima

A bear was sighted in a rice paddy in Shimohori, Aizumisato, and walked away.

Aizumisato 下堀, Fukushima

A bear was seen moving in Matsuzawa Maesawa, Aizumisato Town, Fukushima, around 07:47 on July 10.

Aizumisato 松沢, Fukushima

Environment: Park / Size: Adult

Nanyo 竹原, Yamagata

Environment: Farmland / Size: Unknown

Kawanishi 大字上奥田, Yamagata

One bear was sighted in a farm field in Kamiokuda, Kawanishi Town.

Kawanishi 大字上奥田, Yamagata

Environment: Near houses / Size: Adult

Kawanishi 大字朴沢, Yamagata

A bear was sighted moving in Takihara Fukuroguchi, Minamiaizu Town, around 19:37 on July 7.

Minamiaizu Takinohara, Fukushima

Around 12:14 on July 7, a bear was sighted in Itazawa Ōkura-do, Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture.

Minamiaizu Itozawa, Fukushima

Environment: Near human habitation / Size: Adult

Kawanishi, Yamagata

Environment: Road / Size: Juvenile

Kawanishi 大字上奥田, Yamagata

Environment: Forest / Size: Unknown

Yonezawa Kuchitazawa, Yamagata

On Friday, July 3 at around 6:00 p.m., a single bear (about 50 cm in body length) was sighted on the railway tracks near Aizu-Kōgen-Ozeguchi Station, Haneko area, Takihara, Minamiaizu Town. The bear reportedly left the tracks and went into the forested area east of the tracks; its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.

Minamiaizu Takinohara, Fukushima

A bear was sighted moving in Nagai, Aizubange Town.

Aizubange 大字長井, Fukushima

On the evening of 2026-07-03 in Tamaniwa, Kawanishi Town, a potato field was damaged, and bear-like footprints were found nearby.

Kawanishi 大字玉庭, Yamagata

Environment: Riverbed / Size: Adult and juvenile

Nagai 五十川, Yamagata

On Wednesday, July 1 at approximately 6:43 p.m., in the Suwa area of Kitakata City, a witness (female, in her teens) observed one animal believed to be a bear (about 1 meter in body length) sitting on the grounds of a building while passing by. The subsequent whereabouts of the animal are unknown.

Kitakata 字寺町, Fukushima

Around 18:43 on 2026-07-01, a bear-like animal was seen in Suwa, Kitakata City, Fukushima.

Kitakata 塩川町窪, Fukushima

On Wednesday, July 1 at around 4:00 p.m., on National Route 121 in Jinja area, Itosawa, Minamiaizu Town, a witness (female in her 50s) driving a vehicle northbound on Route 121 toward Tochigi Prefecture saw one bear (about 50 cm in body length) crossing the road from the river on the south side of the highway toward the forest on the north side. The bear entered the forest and its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.

Minamiaizu, Fukushima

Around 8:00 on July 1, a bear about 1 meter long was seen in Kamishiobara, Nasushiobara.

Nasushiobara 上塩原, Tochigi

Environment: Near houses / Size: Unknown

Kawanishi 大字下奥田, Yamagata

Environment: Road / Size: Adult and juvenile

Kawanishi 大字上奥田, Yamagata

Around 11:40 PM on June 29, one bear was sighted in Itazawa Iidaira, Minamiaizu Town.

Minamiaizu Itozawa, Fukushima

On Saturday, June 27 at approximately 6:13 p.m., on National Route 121 in the Itasawayama area of Nagano, Minamiaizu Town, a passenger car driven by a woman in her 40s, while traveling east on Route 121, collided with a bear (about 1 m in length) that emerged from the forest to the north. After the collision, the bear left heading south toward the riverbank, and its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.

Minamiaizu, Fukushima

On Saturday, June 27 at around 4:10 p.m., in Ōashi area of Showa Village, west side of Funahana Tunnel, a witness (female) observed one bear (approximately 50 cm in body length) sticking its head out through a gap in the guard wire on the north side of the road while driving southbound on Route 400 toward Minamiaizu Town. The bear returned to the mountains and its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.

Showa, Fukushima

On Friday, June 26 at around 8:30 a.m., a witness (age unknown) sighted three bears (body lengths unknown) near Gotemba Park in the Gotemba 4-chome area of Shiokawa-machi, Kitakata City. The bears’ whereabouts thereafter are unknown.

Kitakata 塩川町, Fukushima

Around 8:30 on 2026-06-26, three bears were sighted at Gotemba Park in Shiokawa-cho Gotemba 4-chome, Kitakata, Fukushima.

Kitakata 塩川町, Fukushima

On Thursday, June 25, at around 7:20 p.m., in the Fukuroguchi area of Takihara, Minamiaizu Town, a witness (male in his 60s) saw a bear about 50 cm in body length in nearby grasses when he stepped out of his home's entrance to go out. The bear noticed the witness and fled west into the forested area; its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.

Minamiaizu Takinohara, Fukushima

Environment: Around human residences / Size: Unknown

Nagai 成田, Yamagata

On Thursday, June 25 at about 6:00 p.m., an eyewitness (male, in his 80s) saw one bear (approximately 1 m in body length) crossing the road from the forest while doing farm work in the forested area of Nakata, Asahimuryo, Aizumisato Town. The bear ran back into the forest to the west, and its subsequent movements are unknown.

Aizumisato 旭三寄, Fukushima

On Thursday, June 25 at approximately 1:45 p.m., a witness (male, in his 50s) driving a vehicle observed one bear (about 50 cm in length) in the forested area of Hiwada, Higashiogi, Aizumisato Town. The bear left the area heading east into the forest, and its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.

Aizumisato 東尾岐, Fukushima

Environment: Forest / Size: Adult

Iide Soegawa, Yamagata

Environment: Road / Size: Juvenile

Kawanishi, Yamagata

On Tuesday, June 23 at approximately 11:45 a.m., in Osandanchi, Nagano, Minamiaizu Town, a witness (male in his 70s) was doing weeding in a managed area of mountain cherry trees when he spotted one bear (about 1 m in length) walking on the west side of the managed area. The bear wandered through the managed area and entered the mountain forest; its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.

Minamiaizu Nagano, Fukushima

A man in his 70s spotted a bear about 1 meter long while doing weed removal at a Yamazakura-managed site in Naganoosandan, Minamiaizu Town; the bear then went into the forest.

Minamiaizu Nagano, Fukushima

A bear was sighted in Hirayama, Nagai City, Yamagata Prefecture, around 6:35 a.m. on July 19.

Nagai 平山, Yamagata

Sighted running into nearby scrub woodland / Environment: Around houses / Size: Adult

Nagai 宮, Yamagata

Environment: Forest / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Ogoya, Yamagata

Environment: Road / Size: Adult (full-grown)

Yonezawa Banseicho-Katako, Yamagata

A bear was sighted in Iizaka-machi Yunosakudō, Fukushima City.

Fukushima Iizakamachi, Fukushima

A single bear (about 1.5 meters in body length) was sighted along National Route 399.

Fukushima Iizakamachi, Fukushima

Environment: Near houses / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Takei, Yamagata

Environment: Road / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Banseicho-Kariyasu, Yamagata

A single bear (approximately 1 meter in body length) was sighted along the riverbank.

Tamura Tokiwamachi-Sekimoto, Fukushima

Around 5:00 PM on 2026-07-16, two bears were sighted in Mansekimachi Kariyasu, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture.

Yonezawa Banseicho-Kariyasu, Yamagata

Environment: riverbed / Size: cub

Kawanishi 大字東大塚, Yamagata

One bear (approximately 1 meter in body length) was sighted.

Fukushima, Fukushima

Environment: Riverside / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

One bear was sighted in Takayama, Kawanishi Town, Yamagata, swimming downstream in the Mogami River.

Kawanishi 大字高山, Yamagata

Around 7:30 a.m. on the 15th, one bear about 1 meter long was seen in Sekine district, Yonezawa City.

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

Environment: Farmland / Size: Unknown

Yonezawa Hanazawa, Yamagata

A bear was sighted in Hanazawa, Yonezawa City, on the morning of 2026-07-14.

Yonezawa Hanazawa, Yamagata

Environment: Near human dwellings / Size: Juvenile (young bear)

Yonezawa Misawa, Yamagata

Environment: Farmland / Size: Unknown

Yonezawa Banseicho-Zusayama, Yamagata

Environment: Near dwellings / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

Around 6:00 a.m. in Nakano-me, Nihonmatsu City, one bear about 1.5 m long was sighted crossing a field.

Nihonmatsu 中ノ目, Fukushima

A bear was seen leaving into a forest in Iizakamachi Yuno Matoba, Fukushima City.

Fukushima Iizakamachi-Yuno, Fukushima

A bear was sighted in Shinyu, Yuno, Iizakamachi, Fukushima City around 16:40 on July 11.

Fukushima Iizakamachi, Fukushima

Environment: Riverbed / Size: Adult and cub

Yonezawa Hosenmachi, Yamagata

Environment: road / Size: adult (fully grown)

Yonezawa Kiwada, Yamagata

A bear was sighted in Hirose-Hanmonba, Takine-machi, Tamura City around 12:50 on July 10.

Tamura, Fukushima

A bear was sighted around 18:00 in Takei, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture.

Yonezawa Takei, Yamagata

Environment: Riverbanks / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

One bear about 80 cm long was sighted in Sekine, Yonezawa City.

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

Environment: Forest / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

One bear about 80 cm long was sighted in Sekine, Yonezawa City.

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

Environment: Park / Size: Adult

Nanyo 竹原, Yamagata

One bear was sighted in a farm field in Kamiokuda, Kawanishi Town.

Kawanishi 大字上奥田, Yamagata

Around 1:00 PM, one bear about 80 cm long was sighted in Sekine, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture.

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

Environment: Forest / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Banseicho-Zusayama, Yamagata

Environment: Agricultural land / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Misawa, Yamagata

A bear about 1 meter long was sighted in Misawa, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture.

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

Environment: Road / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Misawa, Yamagata

Environment: Forest / Size: Juvenile

Yonezawa Ogoya, Yamagata

Environment: Forest / Size: Juvenile

Yonezawa Ogoya, Yamagata

A bear was sighted in Matsukawamachi Kanazawanagamine, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, on 2026-07-06.

Fukushima Matsukawamachi-Kanezawa, Fukushima

Around 11:30 on 2026-07-06, one bear about 70 cm long was sighted in a forest in the Misawa area of Yonezawa City.

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

Environment: Forest / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Misawa, Yamagata

Environment: Forest / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Banseicho-Kariyasu, Yamagata

Around 5:00 on 2026-07-05, one bear about 1 meter long was sighted near Yonezawa Ski Resort in the Bakasecho Kariyasu area of Yonezawa City.

Yonezawa Banseicho-Kariyasu, Yamagata

Environment: railway / Size: adult

Yonezawa Misawa, Yamagata

Environment: On the railroad tracks / Size: Adult animal

Yonezawa Itaya, Yamagata

Around 16:40 on 2026-07-04, one bear about 1 meter long was sighted in Itaya, Yonezawa City.

Yonezawa Itaya, Yamagata

A bear was sighted in Shimonoji Tohara, Fukushima City.

Fukushima Shimonodera, Fukushima

Environment: Forest / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Misawa, Yamagata

Environment: Riverbed / Size: Adult and juvenile

Nagai 五十川, Yamagata

Environment: Around residential houses / Size: Unknown

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

Three bears of unknown size were sighted in Sekine, Yonezawa City.

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

Environment: On the tracks / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Banseicho-Tatsuzawa, Yamagata

One bear about 1 meter long was sighted in Misawa, Yonezawa City.

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

A cub was sighted on the tracks in Tori-machi 1-chome, Yonezawa City.

Yonezawa Banseicho-Tatsuzawa, Yamagata

One bear was sighted in Higashiodori 1-chome, Yonezawa City.

Yonezawa Banseicho-Tatsuzawa, Yamagata

Environment: On the railway tracks / Size: Juvenile

Yonezawa Banseicho-Tatsuzawa, Yamagata

Environment: Near railway tracks / Size: Juvenile

Yonezawa Misawa, Yamagata

Environment: Road / Size: Juvenile

Yonezawa Banseicho-Tatsuzawa, Yamagata

On 2026-07-01 in the morning, one bear cub was sighted in Misawa, Yonezawa City.

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

Environment: Road / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Minamihara-Yokoborimachi, Yamagata

In Kamiyomita, Nihonmatsu City, one bear was in fields and rice paddies.

Nihonmatsu 上蓬田, Fukushima

Environment: Near houses / Size: Unknown

Kawanishi 大字下奥田, Yamagata

On Monday, June 29 at about 5:30 p.m., in the Shukkan-uchi area of Haruyama, Funabiki Town, Tamura City, a male witness in a field, while driving nearby, observed one bear (approximately 1 m in body length) moving south.

Tamura Funehikimachi-Haruyama, Fukushima

Environment: Forest / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

One bear was seen moving in Haruyama, Funhiki-machi, Tamura City.

Tamura Funehikimachi-Haruyama, Fukushima

Around 4:00 PM on 2026-06-29, one bear was sighted in Sekine, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. The bear was estimated to be about 1 meter long.

Yonezawa Sekine, Yamagata

A bear was sighted in Hiranoboshita, Iizaka-machi, Fukushima City, around 6:30 PM on June 28.

Fukushima Iizakamachi, Fukushima

On Sunday, June 28 at around 6:30 p.m., on the north-side walkway of Iizaka Cemetery in Hirano, Iizaka-machi, Fukushima City, a witness (male, in his 40s) spotted three bears approaching from the opposite direction while he was walking west. One bear (A) was about 1 m in body length, and the other two (B and C) were about 50 cm each.

Fukushima Iizakamachi, Fukushima

Environment: On the tracks / Size: Juvenile

Yonezawa Misawa, Yamagata

Environment: Around human residences / Size: Unknown

Nagai 成田, Yamagata

Environment: Forest / Size: Adult

Iide Soegawa, Yamagata

Around noon on Thursday, June 25, in the Ashiike area of Hiraishi, Fukushima City, on Prefectural Route 148, a witness (male in his 70s) observed one bear (about 50 cm in body length) crossing the road from east to west while driving.

Fukushima Matsukawamachi-Sekiya, Fukushima

A man in his 70s driving a car saw one bear crossing Route 148 in Hiraishi, Fukushima City, from east to west.

Fukushima Hiraishi, Fukushima

Around noon on 2026-06-25, a bear was sighted at Hiraishi Ashiike, Fukushima City.

Fukushima Matsukawamachi-Sekiya, Fukushima

Environment: Near houses / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Minamihara-Yokoborimachi, Yamagata

One bear was seen crossing near the Fukushima-side entrance of the Higashi-Kurikoto Tunnel on National Route 13 in Iizaka-machi Nakano, Fukushima City.

Fukushima, Fukushima

On Wednesday, June 24 at approximately 4:50 PM, near the Fukushima Prefecture-side entrance/exit of the Higashi-Kuriko Tunnel on National Route 13 in Nakano, Iizaka Town, Fukushima City, a witness (female, in her 30s) observed, while driving, one bear (about 50 cm in body length) crossing National Route 13 from north to south.

Fukushima, Fukushima

On Tuesday, June 23 at approximately 6:45 p.m., near the 245-kilometer post on the southbound lanes of the Tohoku Expressway underpass in Akagai-Mori area, Matsukawa-machi, Fukushima City, a driver (male, in his 40s) traveling on the expressway observed a bear (one animal, about 50 cm in body length) attempting to cross the road from the shoulder into the lanes of the southbound Tohoku Expressway (toward Sendai). When the witness sounded his horn, the bear returned to the shoulder. Its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.

Fukushima Matsukawamachi-Sekiya, Fukushima

On Tuesday, June 23 at around 6:25 p.m., on a town road in the Shioniwa area of Ono Town, a female witness driving north on the road saw one animal believed to be a bear (about 1 m in body length) crossing the road from east to west. The animal then ran off toward the mountains to the west.

Ono Shioniwa, Fukushima

An animal believed to be a bear crossed a town road in Shio-niwa.

Ono Shioniwa, Fukushima

On 2026-06-23 at about 18:22, a bear was sighted in Yui Kamekubo, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture.

Nihonmatsu 油井, Fukushima

On Tuesday, June 23 at approximately 6:22 PM, in the Kabuko area of Yui, Nihonmatsu City, a witness (male in his 60s) driving a vehicle saw one bear (about 1 meter in body length) moving north through fields. Its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.

Nihonmatsu 矢ノ戸, Fukushima

Environment: Railway / Size: Adult

Yonezawa Banseicho-Tatsuzawa, Yamagata

On Sunday, June 28 at approximately 9:50 a.m., on the Joban Nakoso Line (major prefectural road) in Tsukada, Hiruno, Watanabe-machi, Iwaki City, a witness (a woman in her 20s) driving near the sighting location observed one bear (about 1 meter in body length) near the rice fields beside the road.

Iwaki 中部工業団地, Fukushima

Around 09:50 on 2026-06-28, a bear was sighted in Watanabe-cho Hiruno, Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture.

Iwaki 渡辺町昼野, Fukushima

On Wednesday, June 24 at around 10:00 p.m., on a road within the Iwaki City Yoshima Industrial Park, a witness (male in his 20s) while driving saw one bear (about 1.5 m in length) cross the road from south to north ahead of his vehicle. The bear’s subsequent movements are unknown.

Iwaki 好間工業団地, Fukushima

In Yoshima Industrial Park, Iwaki City, a man driving a vehicle saw one bear.

Iwaki 好間工業団地, Fukushima