Enshō-ji เหตุการณ์หมีดำ

Enshō-ji has been seeing black bear activity close to people again, and the most striking recent report came on April 10, 2026 in Heguri Midorigaoka 6-chome, where a bear came down from the hill beside the pond and was only about 5 meters away before being driven off by shouting. That is the kind of close encounter that reminds hikers this is active bear country.

The busiest stretches have been around Kizugawa City and nearby Nara areas, including Kamo-cho, Yamashiro-cho, Ninnikusencho, and Besshiyocho, with repeated sightings along roads, sidewalks, and drainage ditches. Activity has been heaviest in November 2025 with 57 reports and October 2025 with 45, then it stayed active through December 2025 with 16, before easing into January 2026 with 2, February 2026 with 1, and March 2026 with 10; this area has now recorded 253 black bear sightings in total.