Hungry bear raids farmhouse to get to pickles in storage area

By KAZUYA MIKI   –   The Asahi Shimbun

KANEYAMA, Yamagata Prefecture–A bear attracted by the smell of pickles and fermenting miso staged a daring daytime raid on an isolated farmhouse here, but caused no injuries–just one heck of a mess.

Farmer Masako Mikami, 77, reported to Shinjo police station that the animal ransacked jars and tubs stored in the “doma,” an annexed storeroom where people can go in wearing shoes.

Mikami lives in a remote settlement in a mountainous area near the Kamuro dam in the northern part of the main Honshu island.

Her surprise visitor first turned up late on June 24, and then again lunchtime the following day.

Paw prints were found on an exterior wall under the window sill about 1.3 meters above ground.

The local hunters’ association set traps around Mikami’s home in case the animal decides to come back for seconds.

Mikami said she used the doma to store jars and tubs for Japanese-style miso and sake-lees pickles. Because of the strong smell, she generally left the window and back door open to allow air to move freely.

Late on June 24, Mikami was startled by a sound. When she checked in the morning, she found several broken jars of pickles. The contents of tubs were also scattered on the floor of the doma. She thought raccoons were responsible for the mess, and locked the back door.

Around lunchtime on June 25, she heard a similar noise to the one the previous evening and saw the shadow of the bear through the glass of the sliding partition door between the doma and the room she was in.

She rattled the door to frighten the animal, which fled after a few moments.

“It has been almost 40 years since we built this house, but we’ve never seen a bear so close here. I am really surprised,” Mikami said.

According to Yamagata prefectural officials, 200 bear sightings had been reported this year as of June 19.

They said farmers had complained of damage to their cherry and other crops by bears.