Interactive Study and Observation Tour of Wild Asiatic Black Bears and Exploring Traditional Japanese Perspectives on Nature, Past and Present

Discover traditional Japanese perspectives on nature and learn about the latest methods for human-bear coexistence in Karuizawa, home to many Asiatic black bears.

Since ancient times, Japanese people have believed that spirits reside in mountains, rivers, plants, and animals. Even today this belief can still be seen through wood carvings at shrines and sacred trees. One reason for this is that Japan is prone to earthquakes and tsunamis, and people have always tried to coexist with these natural disasters. Despite Japan’s relatively small size, the Asiatic black bear, a large and oftentimes threatening wild animal, has managed to avoid extinction and even live close to civilization.

This program starts with a visit to a long-standing shrine where participants learn about traditional Japanese perspectives on nature, which tend to differ from the views of monotheistic cultures. Next, they learn about the issues that residents of Karuizawa face with bears. Karuizawa is an area where people and bears live in close proximity to each other. Then, participants learn how the town of Karuizawa, in collaboration with the Picchio Wildlife Research Center, addresses issues caused by bears. They also get a chance to observe the world’s most advanced system of black bear conservation and management, which aims to enable humans and bears to coexist in harmony. Finally, they get the opportunity to observe, in person, one of the world's rarest black bear species.