Wild lions in Japan?
On my Tanzawa hike, not far from Tokyo and the most heavily populated metropolis in the world, I saw this sign which says something like, “Danger! Do not ever enter”. Really? Are lions back there? I wanted to enter just to see what was so dangerous in this country which has been so completely controlled and tamed.
For some reason fear is a big factor when people are hiking in Japan. I’ve seen bears, snakes, and other potentially dangerous wildlife on hikes in Oregon, but in Japan the biggest threat, in my experience, are the black crows. Even so, most Japanese hikers head out with bells ringing to scare away the (non-existent) beasts.
May 2nd, 2012 at 12:37 am
I’ve seen a few beasts in the wilds of the mountains in Gifu/Nagano. The scariest have been the bears that live up in the mountains and come down in search of food and the wild boar.
Japan Australia