this is the little resort town of karuizawa.unded by mountains and woodlands. and it is lovely at this time of year, especially if you are a leaf peeper after some autumn colours. it is also a very tempting little town if you are a hungry bear strolling in those hills up there looking for a tasty snack. until a decade ago, there were roughly 300 human—bear encounters here every year. and it isn't the only place where this happens. the ministry of environment says between 2012 and 2017 there were more than 500 attacks on people with a dozen fatalities. 0n very rare occasions, man and bear managed to live together. these fishermen on the shirotoko peninsula on the northern island of hokkaido have struck up a strong and unusual bond with their neighbours. but in many other places they are seen as a nuisance, and many are shot. back in karuizawa, businesses like this little guesthouse were finding the bear a real pest. a huge one came maybe every week. especially if they are the rainy days. he would come down and claw at the back do