A recent incident on Mount Iwakami-yama in Iwate Prefecture sparked discussion when a 69-year-old man found himself in a bear's den. According to SoraNews24, it all ended well for the victim, who managed to defend himself using trekking poles.
While walking along a tourist trail, the man and his companion faced difficulties due to a heavy snowfall that occurred the day before. This caused them to lose their way and not notice the entrance to the bear's den, hidden under the snow cover.
At one point, the Japanese man fell waist-deep into the snow and ended up in the den, where a bear was sleeping. As a result of the unexpected encounter, the animal woke up and bit the man on the calf of his left leg, startled by the uninvited guest.
After this, the bear emerged and attempted to attack the woman, but the man quickly reacted and fended off the attack with his poles. According to SoraNews24, the confused bear soon retreated into the forest. Japanese journalists recreated this incident in 3D format to illustrate the moment of the bite.
After the incident, the tourists safely returned to the trail and reached the nearest settlement. Later, the man was evacuated by a rescue helicopter. Doctors confirmed that his life was not in danger, as the bite was superficial. Nothing is known about the bear's fate after the incident.
In Japan, there has been a rise in bear attacks on people and their property in recent months, leading to the selection of the word "bear" as the kanji of 2025. However, judging by the comments from users online, public opinion seems to lean in favor of the bear:
“I can't say the bear was wrong.”
“A rare case where the bear was defending itself.”
“The bear was probably just as surprised as the tourist.”
“Suddenly saw legs sticking out of its den. It was creepy.”
“If someone broke into my house, I would be scared too and would start fighting.”
“Poor bear was just trying to sleep.”
“How can it sleep now in such a state?!”
“A rare case where the bear was defending itself.”
“The bear was probably just as surprised as the tourist.”
“Suddenly saw legs sticking out of its den. It was creepy.”
“If someone broke into my house, I would be scared too and would start fighting.”
“Poor bear was just trying to sleep.”
“How can it sleep now in such a state?!”
Initially, information about how the elderly man fell into the bear's den and fought it appeared on the K-News website.
