The two, both 54-year-old women, took a tumble yesterday after being startled by the creature near the railway station in Nikko, an area known for its historic temples, a police spokesman said today.
The animal charged towards the pair before bolting into a nearby shop, where it smashed dozens of bottles and then ran off into nearby woods, the spokesman said.
"The tourist season will be in full swing soon," he said, adding: "We wanted to get the word out and tell people what happened."