JIGOKUDANI MONKEY PARK
Jigokudani Monkey Park - Japanese Snow Monkeys - Japanese spa Monkeys where the wild monkeys sit in the hotsprings in winter.
Japan's Jigokudani Monkey Park (地獄谷野猿公苑 Jigokudani Yaenkōen) is in Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture. It is part of the Joshin-etsu Kogen National Park, and is located in the valley of the Yokoyu-River, in the northern part of the prefecture. The name Jigokudani, meaning "Hell's Valley", is due to the steam and boiling water that bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground, surrounded by steep cliffs and formidably cold and hostile forests.
Snow Monkeys in Jigokudani Hot Spring. Picture by
Yosemite.
It is famous for its large population of wild Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata), more commonly referred to as Snow Monkeys, that go to the valley during the winter, foraging elsewhere in the national park during the warmer months. The monkeys descend from the steep cliffs and forest to sit in the warm waters of the onsen (hotsprings), and return to the security of the forests in the evenings.
Snow Monkey Transport
There are two main forms of transport to get close to the
Snow Monkeys. You have to walk either 10 minutes or 30 minutes. I only
recommend these walks by fit able bodied adults as the narrow forest track
is often covered icy and slippery in sections. Heavy snowfalls (snow covers the ground for 4 months a
year) in this area and it is at an elevation of 850 meters. The location and track condition keep the crowds away despite being
relatively well-known.
Snow Monkey Minibus
This minibus service has special permission to park closer to where the snow
monkeys are. This means only a 10 minute walk. It is strongly recommended to
book tickets for this bus in advance. See
Snow
Monkey MiniBus
Public Bus
There is a public bus from Nagano Dentetsu Yudanaka Station to a car park
followed by a 30 minute walk.
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Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License)