Hiking in Japan: What to Do About Bears

In short

• Make noise: a bear bell, or simply talking. A bear that hears you usually leaves first.
• Walk in daylight, stay on the trail and together, and carry your rubbish out.
• See a cub? Leave the way you came: the mother is close.
• Meet a bear: don’t run or shout. Face it and back away slowly. Police 110, ambulance 119.

How not to meet a bear

Most encounters happen when a bear is surprised. So the first rule is simple: let it hear you coming.

• Carry a bear bell, or talk as you walk.
• Walk in daylight: bears are most active at dawn and dusk, and in November the sun sets between half past four and five in Tokyo and Kyoto, and around four in Hokkaido.
• Stay on the trail and keep together.
• Keep food sealed and take all rubbish out with you.
• Ask at your hotel whether the trail is open: trails close after sightings.

Magome–Tsumago: Brass bells hang along the Nakasendo trail. Ring each one as you pass — that’s what they’re for — and greet the people you meet with a “Konnichiwa”.

What to do if you meet a bear

Stay calm and give it room to leave. A bear that charges usually stops short, but if you run, it will chase you.

1. Don’t run and don’t shout.

2. Keep facing the bear and back away slowly, the way you came.

3. Far away and it hasn’t seen you? Leave quietly the same way.

Common mistake: Walking towards a bear for a photo, or towards a cub. The mother is near, and that’s the most dangerous moment of all.

If a bear attacks

Important: Protect your head and neck: cover them with your arms. If you’re knocked down, lie face down with your hands behind your neck and keep your backpack on.

110 · 119 — Police · ambulance

Bear spray is sold in outdoor shops in Japan. It can’t go on a plane, in the cabin or in checked bags, so buy it near the trail and ask before you take it on a train or bus.