Bear Sightings Spread to Kyoto and Yamagata, but Japan Travel Demand Holds Steady
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
Bear sightings in Japan have expanded from Hokkaido and the Tohoku region to popular destinations such as Kyoto’s Arashiyama and Yamagata hot springs. Local authorities report increased encounters across Iwate, Akita, Yamagata, Niigata and Nagano, and incidents include a bear cub injuring a Spanish tourist near Shirakawago bus stop. Municipalities have posted multilingual warning signs and added monitoring cameras and “bear-prevention bells” (bear-prevention bells) around trails, rivers and onsen (hot springs). The Japanese government has launched emergency countermeasures and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) urges visitors to check local warnings and keep distance if they spot a bear. Despite concerns on Korean social media, travel agencies say bookings from Korea have not fallen and some report rising demand for hiking and autumn-leaf tourism, noting that bear sightings generally do not overlap with common Korean tourist routes.
