A bear scratched a 40-year-old Spanish tourist’s arm in central Japan’s Shirakawa Village, whose Gassho-style houses are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Police and village officials say the bear jumped out of a bush and attacked the man from behind in Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The man, who was walking near a shuttle bus stop with another Spanish man at the time, was carried to hospital.
Bear footprints were found near the incident site, but the animal reportedly has not been found.
Police and village officials are patrolling the area with members of a local hunting association, and are controlling traffic to keep people away.
AloJapan.com