Japanese tourist village battles to keep bears at bay

Shiroki Mitsunari never remembers seeing bears in his childhood in the scenic mountain village of Shirakawa, Japan. But after a bear cub attacked a Spanish tourist last month, protecting both residents and the stream of visitors drawn to the village’s UNESCO-listed thatched-roof cottages has become a top priority.

“There are a lot more bears coming,” said Mitsunari, 40, a local official overseeing bear deterrence efforts. The increase, he said, is driven by a growing bear population and a shortage of their natural food. Since the attack, authorities have captured six bears near the historic Shirakawa-go site using honey-laced traps. This year, bear sightings have already surpassed 100, compared with about 35 last year.

Nationwide, public broadcaster NHK reports that a record 220 people have been injured in bear attacks since April, with 13 fatalities—including seven last month, when bears forage intensively before hibernation. While many incidents occur in remote towns rarely visited by tourists, attacks near Shirakawa and other popular sites, such as Kyoto’s Arashiyama bamboo grove, highlight that visitors cannot ignore the risk.

Travel alerts were issued last week by the United States, China, and Britain, warning of bear encounters in populated areas. The U.S. advisory noted that a park near its Sapporo consulate was closed for two weeks following a bear sighting.

In Shirakawa, authorities are taking multiple precautions. Honey-laced traps have been set, fruit trees that might attract bears have been cut down, and visitors are advised to walk in groups, wear bear bells, and avoid certain areas.

“When we were planning this trip, we saw a lot of news about bear sightings,” said Cornelia Li, a 25-year-old e-commerce worker from Shanghai. “We were a little worried,” she said, noting that she had attached a bear bell to her 4-year-old daughter’s backpack. Her family chose city hotels over rural stays because of the risk.

Innovative Methods to Keep Bears Away

Asiatic black bears, listed globally as vulnerable, have seen their numbers in Japan triple since 2012, aided by a decline in hunting. Experts point to climate change, which has reduced acorn and beech nut harvests, as well as rural depopulation and abandoned farmland, which drive bears closer to human settlements.

In response, Japan has even deployed the army to help cull bears in the northern regions. In Hida city, about an hour from Shirakawa, officials are testing drones to protect apple and peach orchards. The drones broadcast the sounds of barking hunting dogs and carry firecrackers to startle the animals.

“We needed a rapid-response measure,” said Naofumi Yoshikawa, an official at Gifu prefecture’s environmental affairs department overseeing the trial. Sightings in Hida this autumn have reached 78, compared with 11 last year.

For local residents, the threat is ever-present. “Working out here, that fear of bears is always there,” said Masahiko Amaki, head of a local orchard cooperative, as a dog-barking drone echoed across the valley. “You don’t want to get hurt. I’ve had a few close calls myself. They glare at you… it’s really scary.”

Signs warn hikers not to walk alone, and back in Shirakawa, Mitsunari is especially concerned about schoolchildren. All students have been given bear bells and instructed to walk home in groups to deter bears, which are most active early in the morning and around dusk.

Before last month’s attack on the Spanish tourist, Shirakawa had not experienced a bear incident in 12 years. Mitsunari says he is determined to prevent another.

“That was pretty shameful for us. We are not going to let that happen again,” he said.

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