Bear meat (クマ, kuma) occupies a unique position in Japanese gibier — historically prized as a winter delicacy and traditional medicine ingredient, and now seeing renewed interest from restaurant chefs. Japan has two bear species: the Ussuri brown bear (ヒグマ) in Hokkaido and the Asian black bear (ツキノワグマ) across Honshu and Shikoku. Record-high bear-human conflicts since 2023 have dramatically increased culling volumes, expanding the supply available to certified processors.
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