Snow Monkeys

Our day trip to see the snow monkeys meant travelling from Tokyo to Nagano. In Nagano we bought our monkey park passes which included entry price and the transport required to get there. We then got on another train to Yudanaka, where we hopped on the 15minute bus to the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. The bus actually dropped us off at the bottom of the steep hill leading to the park, therefore we made the rest of the way on foot. We were very lucky that day to have beautiful springtime sunshine and clear blue skies. We were both excited to have the chance to spot the unique primates, despite the very mixed reviews we had read about the park beforehand. 

At the top of the hill we officially entered the park and walked the 1.6km of muddy forest paths towards the pools where the monkeys supposedly bathe. We reached a river and a bridge leading over to a small settlement, outside which sat a rather fat naked Japanese man who had obviously just been bathing in his own geothermal pool. I don’t think he appreciated Luke taking pictures of him! Our laughter was quickly stifled however when a huge troop of monkeys appeared on the opposite hillside and began to descend towards the river. Their distinctive red faces striking against their thick light coloured fur. The babies are less striking colour wise by very cute nonetheless. The monkeys as it turns out, aren’t the least bit bothered by the presence of people and made their way past completely indifferent to our stares and picture taking. Japanese macaques are known as snow monkeys due to the fact that they are the most northernly-living primate (other than ourselves). They are able to survive in areas where snow covers the land for months each year. During these snowy months of the year they must forage for food when it is very scarce. To me this makes them pretty hardy animals. 

We continued into the park and were delighted to find even more monkeys. We were both taken aback by the sheer numbers; there must’ve been over 150 individuals. Although we didn’t see any actually bathing in the man made hot springs, we did sit by the rocks very close to these beautiful creatures whilst they played and groomed each other. I even managed to spot a mother nursing her tiny baby which was a really special moment. There is a warden who oversees the pool area, I’m assuming to ensure people don’t feed or try to touch any of the monkeys. For the most part people are very respectful of the wildlife and like ourselves only went close to an individual to take a quick picture before retreating again. We must have spent an hour observing the macaques forage in the shallow waters by the river, play and groom each other. It was reassuring to me that despite this slightly false environment i.e. the man made pools, that these macaques continued to be wild and free. Despite what some reviews had suggested I did not agree that this experience had a zoo like vibe. The monkeys do not interact with any visitors but merely go about their daily routine whilst in the presence of humans. I admire their tolerance and ability to adapt. However this behaviour resonated to me as a rather pointed and sad reminder of the consequences of habitat loss due to human development.