The north-eastern town of 128,000 people is best known for its Naruko Onsen hot springs, autumn foliage and kokeshi cylindrical dolls carved from a single piece of wood. But this year it has made the headlines as a bear hotspot, as the country reels from a year of record ursine encounters and deaths, with warnings that winter will not bring immediate respite.
Stanford made the most of the first official visit weekend by securing five commitments, emphasizing the positive impact of the Andrew Luck effect on the program's recruiting.