Camping (and bears) in Hokkaido

While putting together our packing/purchasing list last night, V and I had a brief discussion about whether or not we needed bear sacks to keep our food out of the reach of hungry animals while camping. In the US, this is a definite "yes"--almost anyone who has been backpacking through the Sierra Nevadas can tell stories of late-night visitors rummaging through their supplies.

However, we have no idea about the types of wild animals we'll encounter in Japan. My guess is that we'll see quite a few in Hokkaido and Tohoku, but not so many in the southern regions. Regardless, it's another item on our "need to research" list.

I spent a little time on Google this morning looking for info on this topic, but was almost immediately distracted by this great article on camping in Hokkaido: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/mar/29/japan.camping. It reminded me of the reasons that I enjoyed living in Hokkaido--the large open areas and beautiful landscapes are evoke the best parts of the western part of the US. From the author's description of the bells that were attached to their packs, it sounds like there are other similarities--bears can be a problem for campers in northern Japan. It looks like we might need those bear sacks after all...