After we're energized by the caffeine intake from Enza Cafe located a few meters away from the entrance of the park, we're now ready to meet our ancestors.
There's a gift shop just before the entrance. This gift shop isn't just an ordinary one, you can also buy your gears here. They sell winter clothing including socks and scarves. If you can't afford to buy, there's a rental of boots and coats too. It's a long hike to the actual snow monkey park so it's recommended to be geared up for the occasion. You can also leave your big bags here because it would be a hassle to bring luggages in the park.
My friends and I have already anticipated the cold so we didn't bother dropping by the gift shop. Instead though, we found a place for picture taking. Note that this isn't the road to the park, and I'm not sure where this road leads.
We started hiking. It was really a long walk to the park. And it was also very slippery as the snow hardened. If you're not careful enough, accidents might happen. That's why we're walking on the safe side, and most of the time on the muddy area. There's no fence or railings (or how do you call that thing) that would protect you not to fall off the road. One mistake and you might fall from here. Waaaa
Actually, when I saw the stairs at the entrance, I wanted to back out. I didn't think I'd be able to come back home because it would really be hard to go down, unless sliding down or rolling. If I'd be rolling, that would make me a snowman. LOL And I'm afraid of sliding down! Hayyy what did I get myself into LOL
From time to time, we'd stop by to admire nature's wonders. This one looked like a stream but there's no water now, only snow.
After almost an hour of walking, we reached a village. There were houses here and I think one is a ryokan (Japanese inn). Maybe everything is a ryokan but that I'm not sure, it looked like people live in these small houses on the riverside.
See that some kind of smoke over there? That's actually how hot the water is in this area.
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This valley is referred to as Hell Village or Jigokudani because the hot water in this valley. It's located on the mountains of Nagano so it's very cold in here during winter season. But worry not, the hot water from the onsen can make you warm.
We thought this was already it but we still had to climb further. A little more and we'll be in the snow monkey park.
Stairs again but at least it's not slippery anymore.
While queueing to get the tickets, we saw something unexpected. We're looking down because we saw small monkeys playing on the other side of the river. And then, we saw a middle aged man, flaunting his naked body in the onsen for everyone to see. Not really everyone though, that was just an exaggeration. 😅 I'm not sure if many people saw it, but for sure, they did. He was out of the onsen, just sitting by, like sunbathing. Since it's a mixed bath, he's joined by a couple - not naked, thank goodness! - and 2 monkeys who were not bathing but just near the onsen.
Finally I can enter the actual snow monkey park! Each ticket is 800 yen (around 5.17 USD). The park is opened from 9am to 4pm on the colder months while from April to October from 8:30am to 5pm.
After passing by this foot bridge, we found them!
There's a big crowd surrounding the onsen but at least there's still room for the monkeys to pass. One monkey even passed by where I was standing! It was so sudden so I was not able to snap a photo but it will be in my memory. I realized these monkeys aren't afraid of people.
Some monkeys are not shy because they looked like they wanted the people to take photos of them as they were sitting by the onsen, as if posing for a photo.
This is Jigokudani Yaen Koen or the Wild Snow Monkey Park, located in Nagano prefecture. From Tokyo, it's a bullet train ride (or a bus ride) to Nagano City and another train ride to Yudanaka station via the Nagadentetsu Line and finally a taxi ride to the entrance of the park. The park opened from 1964 and since then, it has attracted visitors from all over the world and the monkeys even got featured in magazines.
https://youtube.com/shorts/-blrKBlAliw?si=p8M-aQASoj8Sg0Fe
These wild monkeys are Japanese macaques. They come here in the park to bathe and eat as the facility feeds them. Some don't come down from the mountains though but that's okay. They're free to come and go as they please.
This is their daily life. They come down from the mountains in the daytime and go back before sunset. They play around too, especially the small ones. Since it's cold when we went there, the wild monkeys were making themselves warm in the onsen. Thus, they're called the onsen monkeys of Nagano.
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The legend (or myth) says there's an onsen in the village owned by someone. Before taking a dip in the hot water, the owner put apples on it. Soon after, a wild monkey was attracted by the aroma so he went into the onsen and had the apple. The owner saw this and didn't get angry. There were more apples so the next time the wild monkey came, he came with friends. Thus, the Snow Monkey Park was born.
I'm not really sure of this legend or myth. I think that's how the story goes based on my understanding. It was in Japanese when I heard it in the train. Maybe I made it all up. 😂 Let me know in the comments if you've heard of the legend, maybe correct me of the details of this story. 😅
When not in the onsen, these monkeys are in the snow. They're so busy digging and tasting. I think they're digging for food?
Here in the Snow Monkey Park, you have to keep your food and drinks with you. Put them inside your bag or else the monkeys will take them. To protect them and yourself, you need to follow this rule.
We went down along the Yokoyu River to see what's it like here below. Some monkeys were on the other side and we didn't want to disturb them. Some were having siesta by the stairs.
To exit the park, one must pass the souvenir shop. And of course, being an impulsive buyer, I bought stuff for myself. Also a way to support them.
In here there's a display on the wall saying the fur is from the same fur of the monkeys. Of course, I grabbed the opportunity to touch it and it was so fluffy!
As we were going back, the flashing guy from earlier was still there, showing off his naked body! This time, he's joined by young men and a monkey sitting by the bath. And nah, the youngsters weren't naked. Boo 😂
Another long hike going back but at least we had so much fun. It was still slippery, and I was so careful not to slide or fall. Luckily, we're all safe. No rolling witty snowman.
If you're interested to come to the Snow Monkey Park, there are a few tours that you can join. DIY is also okay just like what we did. I advise you stay at a hotel in Yudanaka Onsen or in Shibu Onsen or around the Snow Monkey Park. Some hotels are generous to take you to the entrance of the park. If there are none, you can commute via bus from Yudanaka Onsen or take a taxi.
Another tip is to not go there in the afternoon, especially late afternoon. As I've mentioned, the monkeys go back to the mountains before sunset so it would be better to come during the day or noon time to really see them.
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
With love,
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.