Introduced here is a brown bear named "kiminkamui," which means "mountain god" in Ainu language. It inhabits all parts of Hokkaido except for remote islands, and is active from fall to winter for storing food before hibernation.

Walking in the meadow

When strolling in the deep mountains, brown bears may appear from unexpected places.

This photo was taken in a hurry by the side of a forest road, which was still dimly lit.

Despite weighing between 100 and 200 kg, brown bears are very light. It quickly climbed a tree for nuts and rest, and at this time was resting on the tree for a while.

Climbing trees is a thing of the past

Their sharp claws are visible, but they also have sharp teeth. Brown bears, which seem to be carnivorous, are actually omnivorous. Their back teeth are perfect for chewing and mashing plants.

They may look cute at first glance, but they are not.

Around dusk, I heard a rustling sound coming from up on the slope and looked up to see...

Watching us from the top of the slope

There are many people living in Hokkaido who have never seen a brown bear in the wild. In Shari-cho and Rausu-cho, there are tours to observe brown bears from the sea. Here are some photos of brown bears taken on a boat provided by a tourism operator in Rausu-cho.

Brown bears walking under high, high cliffs. They walk along the coastline and eat crustaceans attached to seaweed, etc.

Even a brown bear looks small in front of the big nature

The image of brown bears catching salmon and trout is strong, but this is exactly the scene.

Brown bear looking at the river

Even though it is a brown bear, it does not seem to be easy to catch.

A pink salmon. The brown bear hasn't noticed yet.

A brown bear suddenly plunges into the river.

It's kind of a cute back view.

Is it just me, or does he look somewhat proud? I hope they will be able to store up enough energy to survive the winter and welcome the spring when the snow melts.

Safely getting their prey!