Sahoro Bear Mountain Walking Course

As far as viewing animals in captivity goes, the Sahoro Bear Mountain reserve (サホロベアムンテン) is the most humane facility of any we’ve been to in Hokkaido. In general, we’ve found that zoos in Japan are a depressing experience. Bear parks in Hokkaido are usually the worst offenders here. Most of them are little more than concrete prisons for the poor creatures, forever destined to begging for food so that the tourist hordes can snap their photos (take a look at the negative reviews of one bear park here, and another here). The Sahoro Bear Mountain reserve, however, stands out among the pack here as the only one we’d recommend anyone going to. When the worst reviews are along the lines of ‘there are too few bears in the huge park’, then you know they’re onto a good thing. In fact, if you don’t go on the meandering bus tour – i.e., you just do the walking course – you may be lucky to see only one or two bears. Indeed, there’s only around 10-13 bears in a 15 hectare (37 acres) heavily forested park, so the bears have plenty of room to wander freely around. There’s plenty to be reserved about, of course. The bears are coaxed into the tourists’ view with watermelons, food pellets and other treats, and the park staff are continuously watching their movements so as to make sure they’re in prime locations for the tourist bus. But overall, the experience doesn’t leave you feeling guilty. Rather, you’ll probably come away feeling educated and more respectful of these giant gentle creatures.

• Entrance fee: To access the park on foot, entrance is 1,870yen (1,320yen for children). To ride on the fortified Jurassic Park bus, entrance is 2,970yen (2,420yen for children). The bus is very much worth it, if your budget allows.
• Bear Mountain Website: https://bear-mt.jp/