u/HokkaidoLife-1122

In Japan, there are two types of bears: the Asian black bear and the brown bear. Brown bears are larger and only live in Hokkaido. They may look very cute in photos and videos, but recently there have been increasing reports of bear attacks on humans.

Last year, a hiker was tragically killed by a brown bear in the mountains of Shiretoko, Hokkaido. Bears don’t only stay in the mountains—they sometimes appear in towns as well.

I’ve heard that, on rare occasions, tourists or visitors feed wild animals from their cars. This is absolutely something you should never do. Even throwing food or garbage on the roadside is dangerous. Once bears learn that humans have food, it can eventually lead to attacks somewhere, someday.

If you’re planning to visit Hokkaido and go into the mountains or forests, please keep this in mind 🙏

If you go hiking, I strongly recommend carrying a bear bell and bear spray. Bear spray can also be rented at outdoor shops like mont-bell. If you’re concerned, hiking with a mountain guide is a good option too.

I hike often myself and have encountered a brown bear in the mountains. While it was an incredible experience, the fear was definitely stronger. Photographing wild bears is dangerous unless you keep a safe distance, so please be careful.

The bear in this post was photographed at Bear Mountain in Hokkaido, a facility where brown bears are kept 🧸

If you’d like to see brown bears safely up close, I recommend visiting there!😂

Mount Yotei, the symbol of Niseko, is also known as ‘Ezo Fuji’ because it resembles Mount Fuji.🏔️

I went on a spring drive to Shinhidaka in Hokkaido.

Cherry blossoms in Hokkaido bloom the latest in Japan, with the best time to see them from late April to early May.

It was a bit disappointing that the weather was cloudy, but the beautiful cherry blossoms were still very soothing 🌸

The Hidaka region in Hokkaido is also famous for thoroughbred horses, and about 80% of Japan’s thoroughbreds are raised here.🐎

Spending time with the horses was a really special experience.

I’ve also published a vlog—feel free to check it out if you’re interested!