Hey guys! I’m an overpreparer and that usually means I also get extremely paranoid over things – and my latest hangup these days has been bear encounters during my hikes in Japan.
My upcoming trip in early April will see me hiking trails in mostly Sendai area, that will be much more deserted than any of my past hikes. I’ve seen news as recent as late 2023 and 2022 citing bear sightings at the Rikuzen-Ochiai station as well as nearby Omoshiroyama-Kogen station.
I plan to alight along some of the lines on JR Senzan line after hearing how scenic and picturesque the train ride would be, and most likely also hop off along Omoshiroyama-Kogen and play with snow (as I’ve never seen snow before!!!! but my itinerary is too tight for me to make a trip to Izumigatake or Zao so I settled on just alighting at Omoshiroyama and enjoying the nearby surroundings haha).
I’ve bought the bear bells and whistles, which I will be packing along for my trip but I’m thinking of getting bear mace as well since the evidence behind bear bells has been extremely mixed. Unfortunately I can’t prepare for that before my trip as my country doesn’t sell bear mace.
I was thinking of checking out Montbell in Aobadori, but I couldn’t really see any specific bear mace listing on their site.
Are there any outdoor shops that carry bear mace in Japan (specifically Sendai)?
Should I forego my hikes and perhaps just stick to train station hopping with the Sendai Marugoto Pass, or would you guys suggest that, that itself might be risky as well given that there’s bear sightings at those very places…
I’m sorry if I sound really paranoid (and I probably am) but having been chased by monkeys and wild boars during my way down Mt Miharayama at Oshima (thank god for e-bikes) has led me to wonder whether I’m extremely underprepared 😅 thank you so, so much in advance everyone!
by Plane_Pool_7619
