A JR train hit a bear here in Minamiuonuma

Lately, bear sightings have been increasing not just here in the Niigata countryside but across the country, and they're not just happening deep in the mountains either. On October 5th, a bear collided with a train late at night between Osawa and Ishiuchi Stations on the JR Joetsu Line -- that's a local line I use reasonably regularly. 

This kind of news reporting is something I'm seeing more and more often...

According to JR, the driver reported hitting what appeared to be a bear at around 11:44pm. It disappeared after the collision, and thankfully there were no passengers on board. The area where it happened has thick vegetation and poor visibility, so it's pretty easy to see how it could happen.

Osawa Station is just one stop from Echigo-Yuzawa, a place that some of you fellow City-Cost bloggers might already know for skiing and hot springs, and I think it can feel strange that bears roam so close to such a popular tourist spot (a bit like the Shirakawago attack that also happened this week). I feel that this may just be our new normal, and heightened bear awareness will be a constant in life.