I live in a very rural town and theres been multiple bear sightings this year and I live in the very outskirts of town near the woods and mountain and I’m very much deathly afraid of bears and am concerned for the safety of my family
I don’t know for certain, but if it’s easily available locally, then it’s probably legal.
You can as long as you can explain why you’re carrying it. Your chances are exceedingly smallto have en encounter, but I get the worry. I cycled across Hokkaido and every bush looked like it could be hiding a bear (I never saw one or met anyone who saw one on my route luckily) You can ask local koban for specific locations you can’t carry it (like onto trains).
Luckily winter is coming soon, they will go to sleep.
yep.
be noisy when you are out and about
don’t walk around head down looking for bear food (bamboo sprouts and edibles)
bears typically don’t want to attack humans.
give them a chance to get away from you.
If you see one, back away slowly maintaining eye contact and make yourself look as big as possible.
this was a snap taken by a local cyclist after waiting about 5 minutes for some friends last year. everyone was very chill. no problems
I lived in a similar place in Saitama for over ten years. You don’t need bear mace. Just get a bell or anything that makes noise while you walk and a whistle for if you think one is near.
Its legal, they sell it in hiking shops, particularly in bear prone prefectures. Dont ‘open carry’ it on the street in urban areas and you wont have any issues with the poepoe.
Edit: Yeah you dont need it in Saitama, too much extra weight and total waste for the small chance you might see one. Expensive as hell too.
If it’s just tsukinowaguma you’re fine. They’re just wee little black bears. Put a bell on your bag and don’t tiptoe around the woods. With black bears if you just make yourself big and be noisy, they’ll bugger off. If it’s higuma, those are brown bears and much more dangerous. Though according to the video they made us watch to be allowed to hike in shiretokko, higuma don’t like if you clap your hands and say “hoi hoi!”
bear spray is legal in japan as long as you’re not intending to use it on humans(VERY, VERY illegal even in self-defense)
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I don’t know for certain, but if it’s easily available locally, then it’s probably legal.
You can as long as you can explain why you’re carrying it. Your chances are exceedingly smallto have en encounter, but I get the worry. I cycled across Hokkaido and every bush looked like it could be hiding a bear (I never saw one or met anyone who saw one on my route luckily) You can ask local koban for specific locations you can’t carry it (like onto trains).
Luckily winter is coming soon, they will go to sleep.
yep.
be noisy when you are out and about
don’t walk around head down looking for bear food (bamboo sprouts and edibles)
bears typically don’t want to attack humans.
give them a chance to get away from you.
If you see one, back away slowly maintaining eye contact and make yourself look as big as possible.
this was a snap taken by a local cyclist after waiting about 5 minutes for some friends last year. everyone was very chill. no problems
https://preview.redd.it/95oagurpsbvb1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c2fae5d4d9d1dac64a25f1c79bb46cb87bdd399
I lived in a similar place in Saitama for over ten years. You don’t need bear mace. Just get a bell or anything that makes noise while you walk and a whistle for if you think one is near.
Its legal, they sell it in hiking shops, particularly in bear prone prefectures. Dont ‘open carry’ it on the street in urban areas and you wont have any issues with the poepoe.
Edit: Yeah you dont need it in Saitama, too much extra weight and total waste for the small chance you might see one. Expensive as hell too.
If it’s just tsukinowaguma you’re fine. They’re just wee little black bears. Put a bell on your bag and don’t tiptoe around the woods. With black bears if you just make yourself big and be noisy, they’ll bugger off. If it’s higuma, those are brown bears and much more dangerous. Though according to the video they made us watch to be allowed to hike in shiretokko, higuma don’t like if you clap your hands and say “hoi hoi!”
bear spray is legal in japan as long as you’re not intending to use it on humans(VERY, VERY illegal even in self-defense)