Japanese macaques living in a snowy valley
Jigokudani Monkey Park is located in the beautiful Yokoyugawa Valley in northern Nagano Prefecture. At an altitude of 850m and surrounded by steep cliffs which are covered in plenty of snow in winter, the area is so desolate that it has been referred to as being “hellish” due to the spewing steam from the fountains. The wild macaques have been living here in this mountain area since long ago, but with the felling of the forests, their natural habitat was eroded and damage was done to their diet which brought the monkeys to the verge of extinction. To save them, the first director of the park, Sogo Hara, actually tried feeding the monkeys, and from the development of an environment where Man and monkeys could co-exist, the beginnings of the park were seeded. Since the park’s opening in 1964, it has gone through its ups and downs but it has become a popular spot for people from around the world as a paradise where wild monkeys can be seen up close.
Macaques soaking away in an onsen Due to the artificial feeding, the rich lifestyle at the monkey park where the worries of famine have disappeared has given way to a lot of free time for the macaques. One day, a nearby open-air bath used by humans became accessible to baby monkeys which started the story of “The Onsen Monkeys”. As with Man, the soothing phenomenon of the bath spread around to the other macaques and it was passed down the generations so that a hot spring environment for Japanese macaques, the only one of its kind in the world, was born. The appearance of the monkeys enjoying a spa in the harsh snowscape of winter and in a dreamy state of mind is enough to captivate anyone. Incidentally, the hair and sweat glands of the monkeys have been formed such that they don’t get a chill once they leave the bath. Also, there are plenty of leisure activities such as onsen, winter sports and highland trekking in the surrounding areas. And besides the winter scenery, the area is also surrounded by the beautiful highland scenery of summer, so get your fill of holiday by spending a relaxing time with the monkeys. Jigokudani Monkey Park, English homepage