What No One Tells You About Bears in Japan
Hey guys, I work with National Parks of Japan and today I’m going to answer all your bear questions. So we are right now this is the autumn. This is October, mid to late October. And this is when they start looking for food so they can go into hibernation, prepare for the winter. However, this year because summer was so hot, there was not enough berries and food supply for them to find in the mountain, which is why now they have to come down into civilization to look for food. Uh so why don’t we have more bear hunters? Uh back in the days there’s this these people who are hunters. They live in Tohoku region in Hokkaido and their names they were called Matagi. They were professional hunters um trained to uh take down bears. However, they get paid very little. Uh last year there was a news in Hokkaido where um the association that was supposed to take down bears, they refused to cooperate because the the compensation compared to the risk basically the riskreward was um was just it didn’t make sense. They had to they were paid I think um niman so like under $200 to take down a bear and taking down a bear is very dangerous task and you pay only $200 for to to risk your life. Who’s going to do that? Uh anyways, today just this trail, right at the start of the trail, there was a sign saying that just this morning there was a a bear, a um a mother and a cub and also another sighting just around this area. Um but usually they come out in the morning or in the late afternoon. So we’re going to take a we’re going to get back before sunset. Yeah, if you are scared um if you don’t want to encounter them, avoid the early mornings and the late afternoon. Beautiful, right? This is um Let’s go have a walk. You can ask me the next question. Am I not scared? Uh yes, I am uh quite quite scared to be honest. Now, usually you have bear bells or bear sprays. So, bear bells is fine because right now we’re talking, right? We are making noise. We’re trying to not attract them. Um ideally, we would have bear spray. I don’t have it with me today. We we weren’t planning to um be so isolated. Can get back to civilization. We’ll buy some bear sprays maybe at Montel. [Laughter] Okay. So, so what happens if we encounter be realistically right this area it’s black bear. We don’t have brown bear because brown bears are further up north. Um, the black bears, if we encounter a mother and a cub and the if we’re at a safe distance, then we would just slowly walk back, show them that we’re not a threat, right? But if for some reason um we’re making a lot of noise, so they shouldn’t really come to us. But for some reason, if a bear just appeared, say it just like just like right there about 20 meters away, and say it feels threatened, right? All right. If it doesn’t feel threatened, then we we just slowly walk back down. Don’t bother each other. We’ll head back out. Okay. But if it starts charging at us, the best you can do, there’s two things you can do. One, um, if you have the upper ground, right? You want to aim for the nose. You aim for the bear’s nose. Um, their nose is most sensitive. That’s that’s that’s why bear sprays work. The bear spray is there 10 to 20 meters and it sprays and hits their nose. Um, it’s like pepper, right? It’s pepper spray. But yeah, if you don’t have bear spray, you wanna basically want to aim for the kick for the nose kick. Now, if you think that’s not not possible, there’s no possibility of that. What you want to do is you want to you want to lie down and you just want to cover your cover your neck. Cover your neck like this with both hands. [Music] Yeah. So the average age of a matagi, a modern day Matagi, they are in their 70s because it’s not a lucrative job, right? If you graduate your 20s or 30s, it it doesn’t pay the bill, right? So something’s got to change. Like the economy has to has to favor. Now there is a way to make a little bit of money. So there are bear meal bear game big game restaurants. Um we call them j right. So after you take down a bear you can send it to the restaurant. I think this like a bear bear paw was it ramen? Bear paw ramen because it’s a lot of we call it kagen collagen right it’s good for skin right. Um, another thing is a bear hot pot, right? That’s also popular, right? Um, it’s good for our health, especially in the winter. So, but it’s um it’s still quite rare, right? The GBA we call it I think it’s a French word, right? It’s a French word. Uh, consists of bear, deer, and boar. Mostly it’s boar and deer. They’re easier to catch. Um, no risk, lower risk. Actually, bors are quite risky. Anyways, it’s start walking back. It’s It’s getting dark, right? It’s getting dark. They come out You They usually come out when it’s dark, when it’s cooler. Yeah. Next question. Oh, so do you want to know how they make it delicious, right? Okay. So honestly honestly Japan they love their food right even when it comes to bear boore deer they find ways to to to remove the blood so like the giness of the meat it comes from the blood so um there’s a company there’s a company where is it I forgot where it is but what they do is they use tampons right you know the the tampons for for baby and for girls right to remove all the blood right to to to drain to soak every single blood, you know, drop of blood and then they also freeze it there. There’s like a quick freeze technology in Japan, a big ass freezer. They use that to to keep the meat fresh, right? Um I’ve the best Oh man, like so many memories, it tasted so good. Like the best uh restaurants, the the GBA restaurants, they don’t taste gy whatsoever. The fat is delicious. So, you know, a lot of people say it’s it’s cruel, but to be honest, like Japan, we’ve we live we coexist with animals, right? It’s all about balance. There was a time about 150 years ago when wolves were a problem in Japan and um they were killing their livestock and so on. So, what happened was human we destroy their habitat and we basically drove them to extinction. And because wolves went into extinction, what happened was the balance balance became unbalanced, right? What happened was deers became abandoned, too abounded. They started coming down from the village. They ate all the crops. So then humans, I think this is back in the 50s and 60s, we killed a lot of deers, right? We had deer hunters that were killing all the deer. And then it became um they became near extinction. So we started we stopped killing them. You know we have them in Natada parks you know these places it’s like uh we have their more like it’s almost they’re almost like attractions right so but now there’s too many of them a lot of people who understand the business right they understand that if we have um if you don’t do anything about bears in the future if we say there’s no one killing the bears right then the population will continue to grow continue to grow and at some point the general population will have a consensus where we just don’t want bears anymore because it’s too much risk, right? Kids in Japan, you see them wearing like little yellow hats, right? They they go they have have a little flag and they they line up like like like ducklings and they go to school, right? A lot of the schools are in the mountains, right? They’re in the nature. And if those kids start getting attacked by bears what would happen is there will be a national pool and people will say most people more than half if that happens most people will say we need to get rid of all the bears right and which will drive bears to extinction so to prevent this we have um matagi the people who are I think right now there’s like association that kills bears right now they’re not compensated well so in order to really um control the bear population and mitigate the risk What does that sound? I think it’s just someone closing the door. Anyways, yeah, to to mitigate the risk, they have to be paid well. The Matagis um the bear association, they have to be paid handsomely. Um yeah, I think that be that’s the only sustainable long-term solution. Anyways, I think uh it’s getting scary and getting cold, so um that’s it. Um, if you have any questions about bears, just leave it in the comments. Beautiful, right? This place. Let me do a final introduction of what this place is. You’re um, zoom into the mountain. Okay, it’s it’s zoomed into me, but take a look at the mountain. This place is called and it’s this area, this trail, it’s called um, and then if you go up, we call it, right? You go up and um you have to do the top ropes and um this is this mountain we call it the mountain of death because you had it it’s claimed more lives over 800 and counting um than any mountain in the world even more than Himalayas. Yeah. Mountain of death. I’ve been to maybe the midsection. You see where the snow is? Maybe just right below it. I’ve never gone above it. It’s It’s too It’s too dangerous. Yeah. Yeah. It’s not for me. All right. Um that’s it. Our our our right is here. Look look. Our right is here. Our our ride is here. Um I guess stay safe, guys. Hope you guys stay safe. Bye-bye.
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50 Comments
Several years ago when I went to Hokkaido and hiked out as far out on the Shiretoko as the trail goes (Io-san), I was told bear spray is not available in Japan. Has that changed? If so, is it widely available at the edge of bear country? (Remember you cannot carry bear spray on commercial aircraft. When I went to Hokkaido, we had only bells and whistles. There were bear lockers in the campsites to store food away from camp.)
How about playing a bit loud music on your phone while walking alone? Would that help?
There are plenty of hunters from all over the world that would pay big bucks to hunt a bear in Japan.
Hello I just found your channel and subscribed. I'm an American living Japan and used to be a fully licensed Matagi Hunter. I would hunt in Aomori, Iwate and Hokkaido prefectures. I could only have a 12ga shotgun but was strong enough to take down any animal. I studied bear and deer habitat for years and paid close attention to the annual weather patterns of temperature, rainfall and snowfall. Ezo deer destroy approximately 700 billion yen worth of crops in Hokkaido alone. A few contributing facts about this years bear explosion. Its the same as 2010 nearly. This year was a La Nina weather pattern (normally comes about every 7-10 years) which means very hot and no rain season. This has caused the forest trees to not produce enough acorns, berries, and other bear foods. There are currently 9 million Akiya houses in Japan. Another contributing factor, as people die or move out of the country or rural areas, their kids don't want their houses or don't want to pay the huge inheritance taxes. These houses become vacant and overgrown but still have active fruit trees in the yard like Kaki (persimmons) for example. Bears can now come out of the forests to these types of homes in rural neighborhoods, placing them very close to other people. As this continues, they get used to other noises of a neighborhood and no longer scared. Then they can smell trash, gardens, dog and cat food close by at others homes. The neighborhood now becomes the food supply. Another factor is the gov't doesn't have an effective game management system. There are way too many deer and bears in population and not enough hunters. I would pay around 300,000 yen per year to have the permits and expenses to hunt. It's a very expensive sport and I wish the gov't would lower the prices and pay more to manage game to attract younger people to participate.
Telling the person recording this that maybe he’ll bring bear spray next time will get you killed . He’s knowledgeable but stupid- I would have turned around and ended the interview
I’m gonna ask a stupid question. Why can’t you guys leave some food since there’s food shortage this season ¿
There used to be two wolf species there, but both are now extinct. Wolves are keystone species. Is any consideration being given to introducing another wolf species?
So much for a so called "Safe" Unarmed Society"!
I personally would not live or travel to any country that prohibits the ownership, possession, and carrying of handguns in the wilderness!
For the viewers who are unaware, Japan is home to two species of bears. The Asiatic Black Bear species of Japan, which are known to be more aggressive than their North American black bear relatives. In Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, there is the Japanese Ussuri- Ezo Brown Bear, which is large, capable, and dangerous Bear species.
We're seeing just how the draconian, oppressive firearms laws of Japan are endangering the Japanese people's safety!
What about wild camping now? I live in the Kii-Hantou (Nara-ken area) and I love hiking up obscure trails next to a beautiful river, cooking a nice meal, then sleeping under the stars, cowboy style if there is no rain. This is one of my favorite things. Of course, I always Leave No Trace. However, now I am terrified that I may inadvertently leave a trace… of my chewed remains! I am seriously distressed and don't know what to do. The last time I camped was a few months ago. But now I don't think I can enjoy it. I would just lie there, wide eyed all night, listening for the slightest noise. But I don't want to give up camping! Anyone have any ideas?
Stupid guy
Another "What no one tells you about …" video …
Hello, I live in BC Canada. We have black bears and grizzly bears here. When there is a problem with a bear, we do our best to relocate into a natural park or wilderness preserve away from people. The other thing we do is people can call the conservation officer or game wardens, and they collect roadkill for the bears to eat. Also, planting apple trees in forests away from people has helped, but we don't do that anymore. I know Canada has more wilderness than Japan, but you still have wilderness areas. I love Japan and visit it every year for a month. I have family there and would love to retire or move there. My Japanese is getting better. Thank you
Bears are an important part of our ecosystem. Please don't eat them or sell them to Chinese (gall bladder aphrodisiac garbage). Also, what South Korea has done to the bears there is terrible. Please don't put them in cages on bear farms. We also tag our bears with trackers. That would help, too. Once you know your gender population, you can look at neutering or sterilization programs to humanely control populations. Public awareness and fundraising can help cover these costs. Be good to bears. Let me know if I can help.
Hornets in Japan cause humans deaths at about 10 times the rate of Japanese bears.
As of 2025.10.31, 20,000 Japanese yen is worth USD $129.87, Would you risk your life for $129? Japan is not a gun culture, and there are many restrictions, fees, and hoops you must jump through if you want to keep and use a gun. I imagine there is social pressure as well.
Recently, a case has made the news about a hunter on an official hunt who fired at a bear but it was in the direction of buildings. One court (and policemen present) said there had been no danger, but rules are rules, so the hunter was charged and his gun taken away. I'm just presenting a short synopsis and not presenting all the facts.
Anyway, hunters want more protection from the government coming after them especially if the hunters are on a job for the government and for the protection of the people. And that rule about not firing at buildings becomes more difficult to follow when bears are now coming directly into towns and human dwelling places. I see both sides here. I'd hate to be shot through my kitchen window while cooking dinner. I'd also hate to have grandma in the garden eaten by a bear.
I'd be happier if more hunters were being trained by the older, experienced hunters – before they pass away. I'm sure there is so much more to learn than just about guns. And I'd be happy if those hunters had more support…and encouraged to train as to be able to use guns responsibly. And it seems that they should be paid a fair wage…weighed against not wanting people being eaten while walking down the street or while gardening.
Any project to bring back wolves to Japan?
Please assume that any measures foreigners might suggest for dealing with bears in Japan have already been thoroughly considered by the Japanese.
I'm a hunter in Japan and I can tell you that there's more problems than just the lack of bounty on bears. For instance, I live in Yamaguchi and am licenced to hunt in both Yamaguchi and Hiroshima. However, both prefectures have a ban on bear hunting which isn't set to expire for a few more years. Meanwhile, the government, rather than paying hunters to exterminate problem bears, are instead paying chestnut farmers more money per tree to cut them down than they're willing to pay as a bounty on a bear.
The other problem, and the real reason why the hunters in Hokkaido said no, is the cost associated with hunting in general, let alone bears. The ammo I would use for a bear costs a ton of money, around ¥1800 per shot. Then you need to consider gas, time, food, etc., and the fact that you're splitting that bounty up between multiple hunters. That's the real reason it's not worth it. Sure it's dangerous, but it's not exceedingly dangerous. After all, people hunt bear for sport still.
The other problem is the large amount of "paper hunters" in Japan. These are people who have hunting licenses but never use them outside of what's required to maintain it. I believe in Tokyo something like only 5%-10% of registered hunters actually still hunt due to the age of most hunters here.
There are so many hurdles stopping hunting that it's really hard to address the problem until the Japanese government starts helping hunters, rather than placing more restrictions on popular bear hunting guns like they did recently with our half-rifled shotguns.
Also, bear spray here is extremely expensive (around $80 per can). I have some I had sent here from the US, and I hike with a knife on me for added protection. I think it's pretty reasonable given the recent attacks to do so. I think it meets the "legitimate reason" threshold.
Lots of people are talking about the mega solar power plant projects which are deforesting massive areas of the Japanese wilderness, And how this might be infringing of bears territory and forcing them to seek food in towns as well.
Honestly these solar projects are insane, They've actually raised Japan's carbon footprint by destroying so much forest. Should have just built a single additional NPP instead.
“Big a$$ freezer” got me 💀🤣
I cancelled my trip to Japan because of this, I am petrified of bears !, when I heard that a bear went into a store and ate the sushi I swear I lost sleep. The poor Japanese people have to suffer from this bear explosion.
Such an advanced society acting so dumb . We have the same problem here on the West Coast with Bobcats , and Sharks .
These bears are basically harmless and the smallest you will ever find. The so called, "attacks" are just these bares pushing folks over as any animal does when it plays, and a few scratches if you don't provoke them to be defensive like the man who died here did, because the dog, was a meal. Normally no bites, no mauling people to death, and are smaller than many breeds of dogs.
The Japanese are showing themselves to be pathetically cowardly to exterminate them. Cowards, pure and simple.
They should be tranquillizing them and moving them deep into the wilderness so they can live, free from the abuses and scarcity created by humanity. Humans have taken their land and wilderness, stripped them of the food chain predators depend upon, and then the Japanese get super scared and all the bear spray sells out from a few news stories exaggerating and creating an issue, just because they are naturally following the smells of restaurants and food in trash because their food sources have been stripped away. Due to global climate change, the berries, seeds, fruits, and other animals they need, weren't there to eat. Have some empathy, their issue is caused by us. Now the Japanese are exterminating them because they are too irresponsible to host a sustainable natural areas or empathetic enough to provide food that their industrialization has destroyed.
Just simply move them into wild preserves where the food chain is intact will show that the Japanese people aren't pathetic and weak towards sustaining nature and living with predators lower in the food chain.
I hike exclusively in and around the mountains and hills of Minoh, Inagawa, Nose, Toyono, etc in Hyogo and Osaka prefectures. I've encounted many deer and monkeys. But apparently there are no bears in Kansai, right?
I’m planing a trip to Japan around end of the year and I’ll be hiking in kumanokodo for a week. What recommendations can you give me to get prepared? I think they should be already hibernating by then but not sure how to approach it if the weather keeps getting off with global warming. Thanks
HAHA! We PAY to hunt bears in the US! Just bring in some Americans and your problem will be over.
What a beautiful man.
That's really interesting and informative! Would love to see more nature and hiking related content!
A friend of mine once went hunting in Yukon. He found he was being followed by a black bear. The bear wouldn't stop following him regardless of noise and rocks thrown at it. He had to shoot and kill it. He found a local native village nearby to tell them what he did. The people there took the bear and dressed it out. They showed him the bear's skinned body and told him that the bear had barely any fat on its body and it was probably trying to eat him.
Leave the bears alone.
I went to Japan last year and I did a famous part of the Nakasendo trail and someone travelling at the same time saw a beat cub. I come from Romania, where we have a lot of brown bears and I've never been this close to a bear, so I was quite surprised, given the fact that it's such a popular hike
“Ni man” is 2 x 10,000. That’s not a lot of money in Japan. It is about $210 AUD or $140 USD.
In my country in Europe we just killed all the native wildlife, bears, wolfs,… there was even lions here.
I appreciate that Japan still wants to preserve their wildlife.
They should hire Don Jr to hunt the bears. If he’s successful Japan wins. If the bear is successful America wins
school on the mountain? they are closing down rapidly because youngster are immigrating to cities
It’s so interesting that black bears in California are docile while the ones in Japan are not. I’ve seen HUGE black bears while backpacking and they’re so easy to scare away.
Can I come to live in Japan? I'm a hunter who hunts and eats deer and bear in America. I can speak Japanese too. I can help Japan control it's bear and deer population. I know Japan don't allow guns, so I've seen videos on Youtube where the people that eat game animals like boar, deer and bears usually trap them.
Anybody here know if Okutama is known for frequent bear sightings? I'm going there in a few weeks and kinda anxious with the rising bear attacks news. 😢
Crazy, I have been hiking at Tanigawa-Dake this summer. Heard a lot of stories about bears and people were a bit worried, but since it was August, it was not that dangerous it seems. Well…the mountain itself is dangerous enough haha
You barely decided to make this video? I can’t bear this reporting.
Let us trade our ninjas, for your bears.
Ohne reason is that there are no more hunters: 😂 The gun laws in Japan.
It‘s very difficult to get guns in Japan and to become as Hunter.❤
Hunting is not so much risk if you are allowed to own guns. Caliber 30-06 or 375 H&H is enough 😂❤🎉
🎉 Before you eat bear meat you have to test the meat because of trichinae. ❤ …Same Like in Germany where if you eat meat of hunted wild pigs .
First hunting, then testing meat at an official test Station and after that eating. ❤
Testing bear meat for trichinae saves your live for sure 🎉❤
Is it true that Japan has sent the military to kill bears or is that just a rumour?
Your interviewer sounds so scared. "I thought there would be more people"
I am going to visit hokkaido in spring, which trails are safer for hiking? I heard bears are especially aggressive after waking up from hibernation.
The bear overpopulation is an issue that can be solved quite easily. Only the authorities are willing to pay. USD200/Bear is really low just increase to USD2000/Bear you will have a lot of new hunters.
Why not hire foreigners to hunt bears. I live in Montana, United States. I would go to japan and hunt bears, hell I would do it for free.