Asiatic Black Bear Watching Tour
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Price
¥38,000
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Duration
6 hours
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Hosted in
English and Japanese
Summary
In Japan, no mammal is more interesting than the Asiatic black bear. Despite sharing a complicated relationship with humans, bears thrive in Japan's mountainous wilderness, playing an important role in the forest ecosystems. But being shy and elusive by nature, they are not easy to get to know. On this tour you will have a chance to see bears as they are rarely seen: out in the open, foraging among rolling alpine meadows and 100%, completely wild. The bears visit these meadows to feed on specific fruits which are only available between July and September.
We will hike to an observation point on the mountain slopes opposite the meadows, taking in fantastic views of the surrounding landscape while we search for bears from a safe distance and without disturbing the bears themselves. The tour takes between 5 to 6 hours depending on our hiking pace which can be adjusted to suit the needs of those who join the tour. It is recommended that those joining the tour have a decent level of fitness and are comfortable hiking an elevation gain of about 400m with some steep portions. A lunch bento box is included as well as trail snacks and a bottle of water. With it being a summer tour, the weather has the potential to be very hot and sunny (up to 30°C), so we advise guests to pack accordingly and bring plenty of water, sun screen, and protective clothing.
Highlights
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A new tour created by bear specialists
Picchio has been working to manage the local population of Asiatic black bears in Karuizawa since 1998. In conjunction with Karuizawa town, Picchio has successfully reduced bear related damages within the town and found effective ways to coexist with the bears without the excessive need for lethal control. The same specialists who manage the bears every day, want to introduce the public to Asiatic black bears as they exist in the wild without the interference of people. Thus, this tour has been created from the perspective of bear experts and aims to contribute to the ongoing goal of coexistence between humans and bears.
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Special information, special location
This tour visits an area of the bear's summer range unknown to most and gives guests a rare glimpse of Asiatic black bears in their natural habitat. Through the knowledge of our guides, those who join the tour can get a deeper insight into this enigmatic species and learn all about our management project and conservation of bears in Karuizawa and Japan.
