Shiroki Mitsunari does not remember seeing bears in the picturesque Japanese mountain village of Shirakawa when he was a child.
But since a cub attacked a Spanish visitor there last month, protecting residents and the throngs of tourists who flock to his hometown to see its UNESCO-listed thatched-roof cottages has been his top priority.
“There are a lot more bears coming,” said Mitsunari, 40, a local official overseeing efforts to deter bears in the village, located in a remote valley in central Japan, roughly halfway between Tokyo and Osaka.
Visitors take souvenir photos next to a bear warning sign at Shirakawa-go, a popular tourist spot and one of Japan’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, in Shirakawa village, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, on Nov. 15, 2025. REUTERS
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