2 Men Describe Encounters with Bears in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture; Authorities Advise Wearing Noisy Equipment to Repel the Animals

MORIOKA — Bears become more active in autumn before they hibernate. In Iwate Prefecture, more than 40% of incidents with humans during the last fiscal year occurred between September and October, when an increasing number of people visit the mountains to collect mushrooms.

Two men who encountered bears have spoken to the The Yomiuri Shimbun about the pain that they still suffer from as well as the importance of being prepared and what countermeasures can be taken.

“I had no time to shout or feel fear,” said a man in his 60s, who encountered a bear while climbing a mountain in southern Iwate Prefecture in May. The man suffered facial wounds in seven places.