Visited in May as part of a one-day tour from Sapporo. The tour was great but I wish I had read the negative reviews before deciding to visit the bear ranch. Here's why:

1. Within the alloted time, I could have chosen to go up a ropeway to experience an amazing view from a lookout point.
2. Upon entering the ranch, I was greeted with a seemingly "cute" but really abhorrent experience: two bear cubs enclosed within a glass cage so that visitors could see them play. The cage was small, and, of course, mama bear was not there.
3. Several dank and small cages made up the "middle school" where juvenile bears had to interact with visitors who were throwing them little biscuits you can buy.
4. Larges enclosings hosted several adults. These areas had cement floor, no greenery whatsoever, and hosted more bears than they should. I really love Japan, and have spent several months traveling around the country. I never truly feel bad except when visiting zoos or places like this one. For a country so developed, they could do a lot better when it comes to handling animals.