เส้นทางขับรถ Kasugai-Akiha Ward, Niigata

On 2026-06-10 in the morning, a bear was seen moving in Kebyōzaka, Myoko City.

Myoko, Niigata

Size: Unknown

Chikuma Mori, Nagano

Size: Unknown

Shiojiri Kaminishijo, Nagano

Size: adult with cub(s)

Iida, Nagano

A bear about 1 meter long was sighted in Sakurazawa, Kamo City.

Kamo, Niigata

Size: juvenile

Azumino 三郷明盛, Nagano

Size: Adult

Azumino, Nagano

One bear was sighted moving westward on National Route 292.

Myoko, Niigata

A bear about 1 meter long was sighted in a residential area in Himekawahara, Myoko City, Niigata.

Myoko, Niigata

At the bend in the mountain trail where vehicles meet head-on

Nakatsugawa, Gifu

Bear traces (claw marks and broken branches) were confirmed on a persimmon tree within the grounds of a private residence in the Takayasu-ji area.

Sanjo, Niigata

A bear was sighted in Shimmura, Matsumoto City.

Matsumoto Niimura, Nagano

Size: Adult

Okaya Kawagishi, Nagano

Size: Adult

Okaya Kawagishi, Nagano

A bear was sighted in Wada, Matsumoto City.

Matsumoto Wada, Nagano

One bear approximately 70 centimeters long was sighted about 500 meters east of the Nakatawara intersection in the Oaza Nakatawara area.

Joetsu, Niigata

One bear about 100 centimeters long was sighted near the Joetsu-Takada Interchange toll booth in the Oaza Haizuka area.

Joetsu, Niigata

A toll booth worker at the Jōetsu-Takada Interchange spotted one bear near the gate. It ran off toward the mountains.

Joetsu, Niigata

Around 6:00 a.m. on 2026-06-07, one bear about 1 m long was sighted on the grounds of Arisawa Manufacturing Nakatahara West Plant in Nakatahara, Joetsu City, and police received a 110 emergency call.

Joetsu, Niigata

A bear about 1 meter long was sighted inside a factory site in Nakatabara, Jōetsu City.

Joetsu, Niigata

It came down from the mountain side onto the road and crossed the road. Appeared to be a bear.

Ena 長島町正家, Gifu

Size: adult with cubs

Iida Takinosawa, Nagano

A bear was sighted in Sasa-ga, Matsumoto City, around 5:30 a.m. on June 6.

Matsumoto, Nagano

Size: Adult

Nagano Shinonoi-Yokota, Nagano

While driving, a person spotted one bear running along a field path. It was moving west.

Joetsu, Niigata

Size: Unknown

Iida 宮ノ上, Nagano

Size: Adult

Matsumoto Azusagawa-Yamato, Nagano

Size: Adult

Shiojiri Shimonishijo, Nagano

Around 18:45 on 2026-06-04, an animal believed to be a bear was sighted in Soga, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture.

Shiojiri Daimon, Nagano

A bear was sighted in Sasaga, Matsumoto City, Nagano, around 08:50 on 2026-06-04.

Matsumoto, Nagano

Size: Adult

Shiojiri Daimon-nibancho, Nagano

Size: Unknown

Nakano Kasahara, Nagano

Size: adult

Ina Nishimachi, Nagano

Size: Unknown

Matsumoto Kukohigashi, Nagano

A member of the public walking nearby sighted one bear. It moved south.

Nagaoka, Niigata

A 45-year-old farm worker woman nearby called 110 to report seeing a bear in Sasaga, Matsumoto City.

Matsumoto, Nagano

Size: Adult

Matsumoto Kukohigashi, Nagano

Size: juvenile

Ina Nishiminowa, Nagano

Size: Adult

Shinano Oi, Nagano

Size: adult with cub(s)

Iida 大休, Nagano

Size: Adult

Iizuna Kurai, Nagano

Size: Adult

Shiojiri Hirooka-Harashinden, Nagano

Size: Adult

Okaya, Nagano

Size: Adult

Nagano Aokijimamachi-Aokijima, Nagano

Size: adult

Azumino 豊科光, Nagano

Size: adult

Ina Araiuchinokaya, Nagano

One bear was sighted walking through a field in Oizumi Shinden, Nishiminowa, Ina City, Nagano; later hunters and officials also confirmed it and saw it head north.

Ina, Nagano

Size: juvenile

Iida 白山町, Nagano

Size: Adult

Matsumoto, Nagano

Size: Adult

Shiojiri Shimonishijo, Nagano

Size: Adult

Shiojiri Daimon-hachibancho, Nagano

While working in the field, one bear was sighted. It moved toward the mountain side.

Joetsu, Niigata

Size: Unknown

Tatsuno 大字小野, Nagano

Around 18:35 on 2026-05-29, one bear was sighted in Shimadachi, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture.

Matsumoto Shimadachi, Nagano

Size: cub (juvenile)

Takamori Ushimaki, Nagano

Size: adult with cub

Azumino 豊科田沢, Nagano

It might have been a Japanese serow, but there was an animal with four legs and one head. Its snout was shorter than a wild boar’s and its legs were long. It walked differently from a dog; the part equivalent to the shoe on a human is shaped more like a human’s. With all four legs on the ground, its body length reached from a person’s buttocks to their waist. Its tail was not visible to the naked eye.

Kasugai 神屋町, Aichi

Around 14:20 on 2026-05-28, a bear was sighted in Teramachi, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture.

Joetsu, Niigata

A single bear approximately 100 centimeters in body length was sighted near the service road of National Route 18, about 350 meters east of Teramachi Community Center in the Oaza Teramachi area.

Joetsu, Niigata

A bear about 1 meter in size was sighted behind the company’s hill. Afterwards, it left the area and went into the mountain.

Sanjo, Niigata

A bear about 1 meter long was sighted behind a company in Kotaki, Sanjo City.

Sanjo, Niigata

Size: Unknown

Toyooka Kumashiro, Nagano

Size: Juvenile

Azumino 豊科田沢, Nagano

A bear about one meter long was sighted. It then left toward the mountains.

Sanjo, Niigata

A bear was sighted in Mukaihashi, Joetsu City, around 5:30 AM on May 26.

Joetsu, Niigata

One bear was sighted near the Mukaihashi-kita intersection in the Mukaihashi area (Oaza Mukaihashi).

Joetsu, Niigata

A single bear approximately 100 centimeters in body length was sighted 250 meters east of the Takada West Gateball House.

Joetsu, Niigata

A bear was sighted in Teramachi, Joetsu City, around 5:15 AM on May 26.

Joetsu, Niigata

Size: Adult

Shiojiri Daimon-nibancho, Nagano

Size: adult (fully grown)

Nagano Shinkomachi-Hinota, Nagano

Size: adult

Nagano 若穂保科, Nagano

A 1m-long bear was sighted in a residential area of Teramachi 2-chome, Joetsu City, Niigata.

Joetsu, Niigata

Size: Juvenile

Ina Nakanohara, Nagano

Size: Unknown

Nagano 若穂保科, Nagano

Size: Unknown

Nagano Matsushiromachi-Kiyono, Nagano

A bear was sighted in Nakago-ku Miyanohara, Joetsu City, Niigata on 2026-05-23 afternoon.

Joetsu, Niigata

One bear was sighted near the Miyanohara railroad crossing on the Echigo Tokimeki Railway. It moved toward the mountains.

Joetsu, Niigata

Around 2:50 AM on May 23, a bear was sighted in Tai, Itakura Ward, Joetsu City.

Joetsu, Niigata

Size: Unknown

Shiojiri Daimon-nibancho, Nagano

One bear was captured with a tranquilizer gun at Nanbu Park in Matsumoto City.

Matsumoto Yoshino, Nagano

One bear was caught on a company security camera in Hiratahigashi, Matsumoto City.

Matsumoto Ichiba, Nagano

On 2026-05-22 before 08:00, a bear was reported in a yard in Kotobuki-kita, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture.

Matsumoto Ichiba, Nagano

Size: Adult

Matsumoto Yoshino, Nagano

A bear was sighted around 7:30 a.m. in a residential area of Kotobuki-kita 8, Matsumoto City.

Matsumoto Kotobuki-toyooka, Nagano

Size: adult (fully grown)

Azumino 明科光, Nagano

Size: Adult

Minowa 大字中箕輪, Nagano

One bear was seen in Nambu Park in Matsumoto, Nagano, stayed on a tree for about an hour, and was captured with a tranquilizer gun.

Matsumoto Yoshino, Nagano

Size: Adult (fully grown)

Azumino 豊科田沢, Nagano

Size: adult

Okaya Minato, Nagano

Around 07:00 on May 21, 2026, one bear was sighted in a residential area near the Kobo-yama kofun in Namiyanagi, Matsumoto City. Namiyanagi Elementary School was closed temporarily and 54 pupils who had already arrived were handed over to their guardians. Police and municipal authorities searched the area but did not find the bear; footprints believed to be from a bear were found in a nearby field. No human injuries were reported.

Matsumoto Namiyanagi, Nagano

A resident reported seeing a bear in Nariai, Matsumoto City, and called 110.

Matsumoto Namiyanagi, Nagano

Size: Unknown

Matsumoto Namiyanagi, Nagano

In the forests of Ina City (Hirasawa and Nishiminowa), Asiatic black bears were found caught in traps early on the morning of the 20th. In Hirasawa, a roughly 9-year-old female and a nearby cub were captured; in Nishiminowa Fukiage, a roughly 9-year-old female was trapped but the cub escaped. The three captured bears were handled according to prefectural policy.

Ina Masumigaoka, Nagano

In Chikuma City, Nagano Prefecture, bear sightings had been occurring near urban areas and schools; on the morning of the 20th one bear was found in the Yashiro area and was culled. The city reported sightings in Yashiro and Awasa districts since the afternoon of the 19th.

Chikuma Yashiro, Nagano

On May 20 at around 07:30, Chikuma City captured one Asiatic black bear (male adult, 1.3–1.5 m long, 78.5 kg) on a sandbar of the Sano River between Inariyama and Hachiman; local hunters culled the bear at the city's request. It is believed to be the same individual that was sighted multiple times in the city center on the 19th; no injuries were reported.

Chikuma Inariyama, Nagano

In Chikuma City, Nagano Prefecture, on the morning of May 20, 2026, a single bear about 1 meter long was found; at around 07:30 prefectural bear-response personnel captured it with a tranquilizer gun and it was subsequently culled by a hunters' association. A passerby reported seeing a bear just after 05:30 along National Route 18 near Sakurado, and the animal found along the Sano River in the Yahata area is believed to be the same individual repeatedly sighted since the previous day.

Chikuma Ussawa, Nagano

On the morning of May 20, 2026, a single bear about 1 meter long was found in the Sano River flowing between Yawata and Inariyama in Chikuma City; a member of the hunters' association used a tranquilizer gun to capture and euthanize it around 7:30 AM. Sightings had been reported repeatedly in the city since May 19.

Chikuma Yawata, Nagano

Around 07:30 on the 20th, a male bear found on the riverbank of Sanogawa in the Inariyama area of Chikuma City was subdued with a tranquilizer gun, captured and subsequently euthanized. The bear weighed 78.5 kg, and the city believes it is the same individual that had been sighted repeatedly in urban areas since the 19th.

Chikuma Yashiro, Nagano

On the morning of May 20, an adult male bear was tranquilized, captured, and euthanized on a sandbar in the Sano River in Chikuma City, Nagano Prefecture. The bear weighed 78.5 kg and measured about 1.3–1.5 m; its stomach was reported empty, and the city believes it is the same individual linked to multiple sightings in the urban area since May 19.

Chikuma Inariyama, Nagano

Just after 5:30 AM on the 20th, a passerby spotted a bear near Habu Junior High School in Sakurado, Chikuma City. Shortly after 7:30 AM, prefectural bear-response personnel found, captured, and euthanized one bear on the riverbank in Inariyama, Chikuma City; there were no injuries.

Chikuma Imojiya, Nagano

Size: Adult

Chikuma Kuwabara, Nagano

Size: Unknown

Matsumoto Kotobuki-shirasebuchi, Nagano

Size: Unknown

Tatsuno 中央, Nagano

Size: adult

Shiojiri Hirooka-Kataishi, Nagano

Around 2 PM on May 20, a bear was sighted in Sasaga, Matsumoto City, Nagano.

Matsumoto, Nagano

I sighted a black four-legged animal resembling a bear in the mountains about 100 meters from a house.

Kamo, Niigata

Around 18:00 on May 19, a single bear was sighted walking south on a road in the Sakurazawa area of Kamo City, Niigata Prefecture. Because the sighting occurred near houses, the Kamo Police Station and Kamo City Hall are conducting public alerts and patrols for local residents.

Kamo, Niigata

On the afternoon of May 19 in Chikuma City (Awasa area), a bear estimated at about 1 meter long was repeatedly sighted in the urban area; a security camera captured it crossing a road and running away at around 13:20. The city and police searched the area but did not find the animal, and nearby elementary schools implemented precautions such as parent pick-ups and cancelling after-school activities.

Chikuma Awasa, Nagano

On the afternoon of May 19, 2026, a single bear about 1 meter long was sighted in urban areas of Chikuma City, Nagano Prefecture, around Yashiro's Susuki Suijinsha (Susukigi Shrine), along Route 18, and in a supermarket parking lot. Police and the city patrolled and warned residents; nearby elementary and middle schools asked parents to pick up children and suspended after-school club activities and conducted group dismissals. No human injuries were reported.

Chikuma Awasa, Nagano

One bear about 100 centimeters in body length was sighted 400 meters west of the Shimoaono Community Hall in the Ao-no area.

Joetsu, Niigata

At around 11:20 on May 19, a single bear approximately 100 cm long was sighted about 400 m west of Shimo-Aono Kaikan in Aono, Joetsu City, and a report was made to the city hall. Joetsu Police and the city are urging local residents to be cautious.

Joetsu, Niigata

Size: Adult (fully grown)

Shiojiri Daimon-hachibancho, Nagano

Size: Adult

Shiojiri Kyushiojiri, Nagano

Size: juvenile

Takamori Ushimaki, Nagano

Size: Adult

Shiojiri Daimon-hachibancho, Nagano

Size: juvenile

Shiojiri Daimon-hachibancho, Nagano

Size: Adult

Nagano Matsushiromachi-Higashijo, Nagano

At around 19:40 on May 17, 2026, a bear about 1 meter long was sighted crossing the road north of Iida Cultural Hall in Takaba-cho, Iida City, Nagano Prefecture; police arrived but the bear had already left. On the morning of the 18th, police and city officials remained on alert and warned nearby residents, and no further sightings or damage have been reported.

Iida Takahacho, Nagano

On the night of May 17, 2026, one bear was sighted on a road in Takahachimachi, Iida City, Nagano Prefecture; a driver reported seeing it cross the road just after 7:30 p.m. Police and the city urged caution and carried out patrols on the morning of the 18th to coincide with children’s school commute times.

Iida Takahacho, Nagano

While walking along the 4-chome forest path in Meiji Village (between SL Nagoya Station and Meiji Coffee Time House), a bear about 1 meter tall ran up the mountain from the uphill side right next to the path. When I put about 10 meters of distance between us, it watched us for a while.

Inuyama 字内山, Aichi

Several marathon runners who were participating in the ongoing event were sighted

Kashiwazaki, Niigata

On May 17, 2026, one bear was sighted around 10:00 AM on the course along Prefectural Route 73 Kujiranami-Miyakawa Line in Okouchi Nitta, Kashiwazaki City, and the organizers suspended the 26th Kashiwazaki Shiokaze Marathon at 12:15 PM. No injuries were reported.

Kashiwazaki, Niigata

This morning at around 10:00, a report was received that one bear was sighted along Prefectural Route 73 (Kujiranami-Miyagawa Line) in the Okochi Shinden area. ※As an aside, because of this the marathon (Shiokaze Marathon) was canceled. https://www.city.kashiwazaki.lg.jp/cgi-bin/smart_alert.php/1/detail/1193943 (The input screen overlaps with the keyboard, so I can’t paste the link there.)

Kashiwazaki 大字大河内新田, Niigata

Size: Adult

Suzaka, Nagano

Size: juvenile

Takayama, Nagano

A bear was spotted on the course of the Kashiwazaki Seaside Marathon, and the race was halted on May 17, 2026. Runners located before the sighting point were boarded onto buses and evacuated.

Kashiwazaki, Niigata

Size: Adult

Iida Takahacho, Nagano

Size: Adult

Takayama, Nagano

At around 06:40 on May 16, a report was received of one bear about 100 cm long sighted near the Route 18 Fujisawa Snow Removal Station in Fujisawa, Nakago Ward, Joetsu City. The Nakago Ward office received the report and warned local residents to be cautious.

Joetsu, Niigata

While driving on National Route 18, one bear was sighted. It moved across the west-facing slope.

Joetsu, Niigata

Around 18:00 on May 15, 2026, a member of the local hunting association reported to the city hall that they had sighted one adult bear about 1.5 meters long in Soga, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture. Police arrived at the scene but the bear had already left; they are patrolling the area and warning residents.

Shiojiri Daimon, Nagano

Size: Adult (fully grown)

Shiojiri Daimon-nibancho, Nagano

Size: Adult

Iizuna Kurai, Nagano

Size: Adult

Shiojiri Kakizawa, Nagano