Since Japan recorded a spike in deadly bear attacks, Koji Suzuki has struggled to keep up with booming demand for grilled cuts of the animal at his restaurant.
Cooked on a stone slate – or in a hot pot with vegetables – the meat comes from bears culled to curb maulings that have killed a record 13 people this year.
Suzuki’s eatery in the hilly city of Chichibu near Tokyo also serves deer and wild boar, but bear has surged in popularity after months of headlines about the animals breaking into homes, wandering near schools and rampaging through supermarkets.
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“With news about bears growing, the number of customers who want to eat their meat has increased a lot,” Suzuki, 71, said.
As a show of respect for the bear’s life, “it’s better to use the meat at a restaurant like this, rather than burying it”, Suzuki, who is also a hunter, said.
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His wife Chieko, 64, who runs the restaurant, said she now frequently turns away customers, but declined to say exactly how much business has grown.