Bears Cast Shadow over Northeastern Japan’s Summer Festivals

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Frequent bear sightings in human settlements are casting a shadow over three major festivals in the Tohoku northeastern Japan region that are a symbol of Japanese summer. Organizers are working to strengthen patrols and take other steps to ensure that the teeming crowds of visitors enjoy the festivals without concerns. Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, is expected to welcome over two million people for the Sendai Tanabata Festival, set for Thursday through Saturday. In the April-July period, the number of bear sightings in the city came to 216, an increase of around 40 pct from a year earlier. Bears tend to hide in bushes by rivers, and make their way to downtown areas by traveling along such bodies of water. In April, a 1.5-meter-long bear stayed on the premises of a condominium building located about 1 kilometer away from the city government office for around 10 hours. Organizers of the Sendai festival will sound an electronic whistle for an hour every morning by a river near the event’s venue during the three-day period, aiming to ward off bears, according to the Sendai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which serves as the festival’s organizing secretariat. They will also place bottles containing a substance that repels bears in 20 locations along the river. A tourist information center will offer bear sprays. Visitors will be asked to take their garbage home because trash is among the things that may attract bears to the area. The organizers have not implemented such measures in the past. “We’re still figuring things out as we go,” an official said. While still searching for more decisive measure to deter bears, the organizers have set up a system in which emails will be sent to them when bears are caught on surveillance cameras, as well as to the city government and the police. If a bear is detected within a kilometer of the event’s venue, the organizers will consider canceling the festival. For the Akita Kanto Festival, a four-day event in the city of Akita, the capital of Akita Prefecture, set to end on Thursday, city government employees patrol areas near the venue twice a day, bear sprays at the ready. If a bear ventures into the vicinity, the event’s organizers will take various measures depending on how far the animal is from the venue, with actions including making announcements to inform festival-goers of a bear sighting and considering a suspension or a cancellation of the event. Organizers of the Nebuta Festival in the city of Aomori, the capital of Aomori Prefecture, have not taken noticeable measures against bears, other than considering canceling the event if a bear is found to be within a kilometer from the festival’s site. The six-day festival, expected to attract about one million visitors, ends on Friday. Some people believe that it is unlikely for bears to approach the festival site due to the deafening sounds of drums and other musical instruments. In addition, “the area is far too big for us to keep watch” for bears, an official said, referring to a 3.1 kilometer route followed by “nebuta” floats. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]