Japan’s New Bear Safety Signs: What Tourists Need to Know to Stay Safe in 2025

In 2025, a walk through the serene forests of Hokkaido or the historic trails of Gifu feels a little different. Alongside the traditional “Beware of Bears” wooden plaques, a new generation of high-visibility signs has appeared—part of a national effort to keep travelers safe during Japan’s most intense period of bear activity on record.

The government has launched a standardized set of pictograms designed to bridge the language gap and prevent dangerous wildlife encounters.

The release of these signs is not a mere formality; it is a response to a record-breaking year. In 2025, Japan witnessed over 36,000 bear sightings between April and October alone. The crisis has been so pervasive that “Kuma” (Bear) was voted as the 2025 Kanji of the Year.

With 13 fatalities and over 200 injuries reported across the country, including an attack on a Spanish tourist in Gifu Prefecture, the Japan Tourism Agency and the Environment Ministry realized that traditional Japanese text was no longer sufficient for an increasingly international visitor base.

The Three New Pictograms

The new signs rely on clear, universal imagery that even a child or a non-Japanese speaker can instantly understand. They focus on the three most common behaviors that lead to conflict:

Do Not Feed Bears: Human food “teaches” bears to associate people with easy meals. This makes them bolder and far more likely to approach residential or tourist areas.

Do Not Leave Trash Behind: Bears have an incredible sense of smell. A single candy wrapper or a discarded bento box can attract a bear to a campsite or trail from miles away.

Do Not Approach Bears: Driven by the desire for the perfect social media photo, some tourists have been caught trying to get close to cubs or foraging adults. The new signs explicitly warn that a “cute” encounter can turn fatal in seconds.

Why Are the Bears Coming Down?

The “bear boom” of 2025 is the result of a “perfect storm” of environmental and social factors:

• Food Scarcity: A massive failure of acorn and beech nut harvests in the mountains has forced bears to seek calories in towns and villages before hibernation.
• The “Border” is Vanishing: As Japan’s rural population ages and shrinks, abandoned farmland is returning to forest. This “rewilding” blurs the line between the wilderness and human settlements.
• A Lack of Fear: Younger bears, born in an era with fewer hunters, are losing their natural wariness of humans.

Humanizing the Safety Advice: How to Hike in 2026

While the signs are a great visual reminder, safety in Japan’s wilderness is about a shift in mindset.

“We want people to enjoy our mountains, but we want them to do it with respect for the ‘Kuma’,” says a local ranger in Nagano. “The signs are there to tell you that you are a guest in their home.”

Expert Safety Tips for Travelers:

• Wear a Bear Bell: In Japan, “Kuma-suzu” (bear bells) are essential. The sound alerts the bear to your presence, allowing them to move away before an encounter happens.
• Stay in Groups: Noise is your best defense. Talking loudly or singing helps ensure you don’t surprise a bear around a blind bend.
• The QR Code Trick: Many of the new signs feature a QR code. Scan it to see a real-time map of recent sightings in that specific ward or prefecture.

What to Do if You See One

If you encounter a bear despite your best efforts, the advice on the new signs is clear: Do not run. Running triggers a bear’s predatory chase instinct. Instead, face the bear, stay calm, and back away slowly. If a bear attacks, curl into a ball to protect your head and neck—the most vulnerable areas.

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