Officials calling for caution as Mt. Takao enters peak hiking season.
Fall is, by far, the best time of year to go hiking in Japan. Free from worries about the snows of winter, the hay fever-triggering pollen of spring, or the debilitating heat and humidity of summer, a stroll along a mountain trail is one of the best ways to spend a crisp, clear autumn day. You don’t even have to venture all that far from the big city to find good hiking. Mt. Takao is only an hour train ride west of the Tokyo city center, and the 599-meter (1,965-foot) tall mountain makes for a fun and accessible trek, taking about two hours to hike to the summit and another 90 minutes or so to get back down.
However, officials are calling for visitors to Tokyo’s favorite day-hike destination to be cautious, following a bear sighting near its most popular trail.
Out of the multiple routes to the top of Takao, Trail 1 is the most popular. Also called the Omotesando Route, it takes you through a nice mixture of natural scenery and man-made landmarks, such as the atmospheric Yakuoin Temple. On Wednesday, though, Hachioji City, the district of Tokyo in which Mt. Takao is located, announced that video from observation cameras installed on the mountain had shown an adult Asian black bear near the trail.
▼ Mt. Takao’s Trail 1
The bear’s presence didn’t come to light until sometime after the fact, with volunteers noticing it on video recorded at around 11 p.m. on August 20. The sighting was reported to the central Tokyo Metropolitan Government, who confirmed that the animal seen in the images was indeed a black bear and then informed Hachioji City.
It should be noted that the animal was roughly 70 meters (230 feet) from the path, and bears have been known to inhabit the area. Still, this is evidently closer than bears usually get to Trail 1.
▼ The bear was reported as being seen in the vicinity of where Trail 1 crosses over the expressway’s Takasosan Tunnel, which wouldn’t be far from the section seen here, which is about a 30 to 40-minute walk from the start of the trail.
With the bear having come closer to the trail than normal, and also bear attacks in general becoming more frequent in recent years, Hachioji officials are understandably concerned, especially as upcoming autumn holidays and the changing colors of the fall leaves will be drawing many people to the mountain in the weeks to come. They’re advising that visitors avoid hiking in early morning, evening, and nighttime hours, to hike with a friend or as part of a group, and to attach either a bell or a radio to their bag or belt, all to prevent startling any bears and triggering an aggressive response.
Source: Sankei Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun
Photos ©SoraNews24
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