Yonezawa~Bandai 드라이브 루트

A bear was sighted in Kawanohigashi-machi Hatta Onohara, Aizuwakamatsu City, around 4:00 AM on July 1.

Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima

On July 1 (Wednesday) at around 4:00 a.m., in Oohara, Hatta, Kawatō-machi, Aizuwakamatsu City, a witness (male, in his 60s) spotted one bear (approximately 1 m in body length) in a buckwheat field while driving. The subsequent movements of the bear are unknown.

Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima

On Tuesday, June 30 at about 2:10 p.m., on a municipal road in Miyakita, Iwane, Inawashiro Town, a witness (male in his 60s) was driving west on the road when he saw one bear (about 1.2 m in length) cross the road and walk off into rice paddies to the south.

Inawashiro 大字磐根, Fukushima

On Monday, June 29 at around 11:20 a.m., near 312-1 Maeda Ko, Chiyoda, Inawashiro Town, south of Inawashiro Town Dai-ni Elementary School, a witness (female in her 50s), while on duty on the elementary school premises, sighted one bear (body length unknown) near the south side of the school. The bear later departed to the south.

Inawashiro 大字千代田, Fukushima

It was lumbering along through the field. When it noticed us, it ran toward the road.

Inawashiro 大字千代田, Fukushima

In Kawahigashi-cho Hatta, Aizuwakamatsu, a passenger car collided with one bear crossing eastward on a major prefectural road. The bumper was damaged, but the driver was uninjured.

Aizuwakamatsu Kawahigashimachi-Hatta, Fukushima

A bear was sighted on Bandaisan-dō in Bandai town around 13:50 on June 25.

Bandai, Fukushima

On Wednesday, June 24 at about 2:30 p.m., at 1157 Minamiorenzawayama, Hibara, Kitashiobara Village (on the road southeast of Michi-no-Eki Urabandai), a witness (age unknown, female) observed one bear (approx. 1 m in body length) crossing the national road from west to east. The subsequent whereabouts of the bear are unknown.

Kitashiobara, Fukushima

A bear was sighted in Mitsuya, Inawashiro Town, Fukushima.

Inawashiro 字三ツ屋, Fukushima

One bear was seen leaving the roadside for the mountains in Hayama, Inawashiro Town.

Inawashiro 字葉山, Fukushima

On Saturday, June 20 at approximately 6:40 a.m., in the Hayama area of Inawashiro Town, beside a municipal road, a witness (male in his 60s) traveling eastbound by vehicle on the road observed one bear (approximately 80 cm in body length) on the left roadside walking off into the northern woodland.

Inawashiro 字大沢, Fukushima

On Friday, June 19 at approximately 6:20 AM, in the Tsuchiyuzawa mountain area of Inawashiro Town on National Route 459, a witness traveling north on Route 459 in a vehicle observed one bear (about 50 cm in body length) crossing the road from east to west. Afterwards, the bear left and went into the forested area to the west.

Inawashiro 字上川上, Fukushima

In Inawashiro Town's Tsuchiyuzawa-yama, around 06:20, one bear measuring 0.5 m was crossing Route 459.

Inawashiro 字土湯沢山, Fukushima

On Thursday, June 18 at approximately 8:25 p.m., on Prefectural Route 7 (Inawashiro-Shiogawa Line) in Gongenmori area, Sarashina, Bandai Town, a witness traveling eastbound by vehicle observed a bear (about 1 m in body length) crossing the road from south to north. The bear then left heading north toward the rice fields.

Bandai, Fukushima

On Thursday, June 18 at around 5:30 p.m., a bear about 1 meter long was sighted on the grounds of a resident’s home in Higashinakamura, Nagata, Inawashiro Town. The resident had been tending flowers in the garden when they spotted the bear on their property. The bear subsequently left, heading into the woods to the east.

Inawashiro 字堤西, Fukushima

Around 11:20 on 2026-06-18, one bear was sighted in Hibara, Kitashiobara Village, Fukushima Prefecture.

Kitashiobara 大字桧原, Fukushima

On Thursday, June 18, at around 11:20 a.m., near Nakatsugawa Bridge in the Nakatsugawa Gorge on the Bandai-Azuma Lake Line (major prefectural road connecting Fukushima and Azuma, commonly called Bandai-Azuma Lake Line) in Wakamiyaza Azumayama Ko, Inawashiro Town, a witness (woman in her 50s) traveling eastbound by vehicle on the main road sighted a bear (approximately 70 cm in body length) crossing the road from north to south. The bear left on foot into the mountain forest south of the road.

Kitashiobara, Fukushima

One bear (about 0.7 m long) was near the Nakatsugawa Gorge on the Bandai-Azuma Lake Line in Kitashiobara Village.

Kitashiobara, Fukushima

One large adult bear crossing the road heading uphill

Bandai, Fukushima

On Tuesday, June 16 at around 5:30 p.m., on company premises in Dōhigashi, Ōtani, Bandai Town, a witness, while walking through the parking lot, spotted one bear (approximately 80 cm in body length) in the parking area. The bear left the company grounds and went into the grove of mixed trees north of the premises.

Bandai, Fukushima

While driving a vehicle, the observer sighted one bear (approximately 0.5 m in body length) crossing the road.

Inawashiro 大字磐根, Fukushima

While riding a bicycle, the observer sighted one bear (approximately 1 m in body length) walking toward them across the road.

Inawashiro 字堤東, Fukushima

On Friday, June 12 at around 5:00 p.m., on a municipal road in Kaminouchi, Iwanosato, Inawashiro Town, an eyewitness (female in her 80s) spotted one bear (approximately 1 m in length) crossing the municipal road from west to east while she was driving.

Inawashiro 字五十軒道南, Fukushima

While riding in a vehicle, the observer sighted one bear (approximately 1 m in body length) crossing the road.

Inawashiro 字堤東, Fukushima

While driving a vehicle, the witness observed one bear (body length approx. 1 m) crossing the town road from east to west and then leaving into the woods on the west side.

Inawashiro 字平次郎沢山, Fukushima

On Friday, June 12 at approximately 7:50 a.m., in Inawashiro Town, Gorinbara area, on a municipal road, a witness driving south along the road observed one bear (about 1 m in body length) crossing the road from east to west and leaving into the forest.

Inawashiro 字五輪原, Fukushima

One bear was sighted crossing a town road and leaving into the forest in Gorinbara, Inawashiro Town.

Inawashiro 字五輪原, Fukushima