What Should You Do If You Encounter Bear?

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:01 JST, October 22, 2025

When faced by a bear, it is essential to hide, according to an expert, who said the animals are entering urban areas due to a lack of acorns and food on mountains.

Kazuhiko Maita, director of the Hiroshima Prefecture-based Institute for Asian Black Bear Research and Preservation, speculates that food may have already been largely depleted this autumn on mountains in Tohoku and other regions.

“Large bears seeking as much food as possible before hibernation have come down from the mountains to satoyama areas [border areas between villages and mountains], pushing bears that inhabit those areas into urban areas,” Maita said.

According to Maita, urban areas have less dense vegetation than satoyama areas, making it harder for the bears to hide and causing them to panic easily. They may become startled by sirens and when encountering humans, leading to increased aggression.

Asked what to do when faced by a bear in an urban area, Maita said, “It’s crucial to get out of the bear’s sight by hiding behind a car or entering a building.” If escape is impossible, he said that lying prone with your hands clasped behind your neck provides effective protection.

“If there are no nearby buildings to hide in, lying down in a drainage ditch is another option,” he added.