Japanese cook fends off bear while preparing food, keeps working with face covered in blood
Shop manager remarks that it was fortunate the attack occurred on a Sunday when nearby kindergarten was closed
A ramen eatery cook in Japan was attacked by a bear, suffered injuries, but still calmly made food preparations with his blood-covered face, shocking many online.
Japan witnessed a surge in bear attacks this year. At least 13 people have been killed – a record number since 2006 – and more than 100 people have been injured in bear attacks across the country, according to the Ministry of Environment.
On November 9, an employee of a ramen shop in the country’s northeastern Aomori prefecture was attacked by a bear in the early morning while he was preparing for the restaurant’s opening.
According to the shop manager, Sasaki, the 57-year-old man was preparing food at around 5am. He went to the soup preparation area located at the back of the shop alone and came face to face with a one-metre tall bear.
The bear pounced on the man, but he fought back, “throwing it back” and repelling it. He only suffered scratches on his right eyelid and nose. Despite this, his face was covered in blood.
What shocked Sasaki as well as the online community was that the man continued to prepare food calmly, saying: “It was nothing. The shop must open.”
He even thought it was a giant dog that attacked him and only realised it was a bear later.