A sign at the entrance to the Kasugayama Mountain Trail cautions people following a bear sighting in the area, at Nara Park in the western Japan city of Nara on Sept. 1, 2025. (Mainichi/Kazugi Yamaguchi)
The season for autumn foliage has arrived across Japan, bringing with it an increase in hikers, but the deepening threat of bear attacks is casting a shadow over the mountains.
A recent survey conducted on hikers by Osaka-based weather information company Japan Meteorological Corp. found that due to a succession of bear appearances, about 80% of respondents felt anxious, and about half of them had altered their plans, canceling or postponing trips, or changing their destinations.
Autumn foliage along the Hachimantai Aspite Line, a sightseeing road, is seen around the prime viewing season in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, on Oct. 15, 2025. (Mainichi/Naoki Watanabe)
40% strengthened bear countermeasures
The survey was conducted between Sept. 24 and Oct. 14 via the weather information site “Tenki to Kurasu,” which is used by hikers. A total of 3,594 people responded. Of these, 60% said they went hiking once a month or more.
Due to an increase in bear sightings, 19.2% of respondents said they had become “very anxious and hesitant to hike.” Another 57.8% said they had become “a little anxious,” and were “acting with more caution.” Combined, these figures indicate that 77% feel anxious about encountering bears.
A total of 52.8% of respondents answered that their hiking plans had actually been affected as a result. Specifically, 61.6% reported changing the mountain destination they intended to visit, which was the most common response, followed by canceling or postponing their plans at 29.1% and switching to a group hike rather than going into the mountains alone at 25.2%.
Altogether, 38% of respondents said they had strengthened countermeasures against bears. The most common step was carrying bear bells or radios, cited by 76.2%, while 68.8% said they were checking the latest bear sighting information before entering the mountain, and 57.4% said they had newly purchased and were carrying bear spray.
A sign in English warns international students about bears following sightings in and around Akita University in the city of Akita on Oct. 28. 2025. (Mainichi/Muneo Takahashi)
Grasping the state of bear appearances first
According to the Ministry of the Environment, 12 people were killed in bear attacks between April and October this year, a record high. Including these fatalities, there were 108 bear-related injuries from April to September, on par with the record high recorded in fiscal 2023.
For those planning to hike during this period, the ministry says, “We’d like people to first check local bodies’ websites and other sources for bear sighting information for the mountains they plan to visit and consider changing the destination or taking other measures if there have been many sightings.”
The ministry further advises hikers entering the mountains to carry bells, radios or other equipment making noise, take bear spray with them, stick to the recommended routes and avoid going into the mountains alone.
(Japanese original by Ei Okada, Digital News Group)
AloJapan.com