However, a new addition has recently been added to the menu: wild bear meat. According to the Mainichi Shimbun, a vending machine in Semboku city is selling different cuts of locally hunted Asiatic black bear meat for around 2,200 yen ($17; £13) per 250g. Despite international vulnerability status, Japan has limited the number of bears that can be hunted in the country.
Run by local restaurant Soba Goro, the machine sells 10-15 packs a week of bear meat to visitors who arrive in Tazawako station, where the country’s famed bullet train stops. Although hunters are allowed to kill bears in Japan, bear meat is not commonly served in restaurants in the average Tokyo, making the vending machine an unusual and convenient option for wild game enthusiasts.
While some may find it controversial that wild bear meat is being sold from a vending machine, others argue that this could be a solution to the increasing problem of bear attacks in the country. As more bears leave the forests and enter cities in search of food, it poses a threat to locals, and the number of bear attacks has been on the rise. Miyagi Prefecture, for example, recorded the highest number of attacks in the prefectural history last year.
The Japanese government has been trying to control the population of bears by capping the number of bears that can be hunted at 12% of their estimated population. Despite this, between 3,000 and 7,000 bears have been killed in the past seven years as encounters between humans and the animals have increased. In light of this, the Soba Goro representative pointed out that bear meat is considered clean, and doesn’t get tough, even when cold. It can be enjoyed in a wide range of dishes, from stew to steaks.
