Bear Zoo in Akita Pref. Opens for 2025; Children Excitedly Feed Bears Apple

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:52 JST, May 15, 2025

KITA-AKITA, Akita — Kumakumaen, a bear zoo in Kita-Akita, Akita Prefecture, held a ceremony marking this year’s opening on April 26, with about 50 local children in attendance.

The zoo houses 43 Asian black bears and 13 brown bears. The children excitedly tried feeding the bears by extending a stick with a piece of apple on its tip through a small porthole. The children watched as a bear came up to the fruit and ate it in one go. “It was fluffy, but I was a little bit scared,” a first-grade elementary school student said. “The bear who ate the food was so good.”

Eikou Tsuya, the mayor of the city, said, “We consider [the zoo] to be a learning facility about [the importance of] nurturing life as well.”