No picnic: How to survive a bear encounter in Japan

Akita, Japan: Hajime Nakae, Japan s leading medical expert in treating bear attack victims, knows all too well the damage that the powerful animals ca...

Akita, Japan: Hajime Nakae, Japan's leading medical expert in treating bear attack victims, knows all too well the damage that the powerful animals can inflict on humans.

With a record 13 people killed this year in Japan, the professor of emergency and critical medicine at Akita University Hospital advises what to do in an encounter.

Keep facing the bear

When in the woods people are advised to make noise, to attach bells to bags, and not to hike alone -- especially at dusk and dawn.

But if you do see a bear, Nakae said to back away slowly while still facing the animal.