Japanese Snow Monkey Hot Spring Experience | Nagano ★ ONLY in JAPAN

John Daub: So here we are in Nagano: Jigokudani. This place is very famous for those hot spring bathing Japanese snow monkeys, as you can see behind me, really enjoying hot tub life. And yes they are very cute. But it's more than just a tub full of monkeys. In this episode we're going to be exploring how they live, what they eat, and of course a lot of really beautiful shots of morning meditating snow monkeys. Irrashaimase! (Welcome!) Peter von Gomm: ONLY in JAPAN John: Nagano in winter is a beautiful place. The prefecture is mostly in the mountains covered in snow from December to March. About an hour away from Nagano city center is Jigokudani or Hell Valley. Looks more like the North Pole down there but there's a place with a warm refuge in the middle of the frozen world below. Complete with hot bath and meals for the resident monkeys of the mountains and, in the morning, it's a peaceful place to be. It's a fact that the monkeys hate to get wet, but the troop here is special. The only place in the world where you'll see monkeys soaking like this. So where exactly is Jigokudani Yaen Koen? It's an hour and twenty minutes on the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo Station and Nagano Station and an hour from there by bus. From Mount Fuji we're just to the east of the Japanese alps to the 1300 year old Shibu Onsen and Yamanouchi town. The valley is in the Joshin Etsukogan National Park: 572 square miles of forest and mountains. When you get to the parking lot, you still need to go another 1.6 kilometers, or a mile, and I'll do that for you in less than a minute. In winter the hike can be a little icy. Best to be prepared for the conditions. Snow or hiking boots are very helpful. Because there is a lot of geothermal heat under the ground, some spots of the trail will be clear. And that's how you do it. It is a pretty long walk.... hike especially if you carry a bunch of bags and traveling with kids but take your time. You don't have to go that fast. All right let's get back in the monkey park. Entry is 800 yen for adults 400 for kids. The park is well maintained with bridges, steps. The staff consistently shoveling and plowing in winter. And since this is an area famous for its hot springs it means hot water and refuge for wildlife from the cold. The hot spring bath temperature here is about 45 degrees Celsius where the water comes out and 39 degrees Celsius at the far end. Monkeys really don't like to take baths. Like cats, they avoid water, but a third of this group here will soak in spots that make them comfortable. Others may just sit around it like a campfire. Takizawa: Actually, monkeys really don't like getting wet. They won't go into the hot spring proactively. It's cold so it can't be helped, right? So they weigh between waiting in the cold or going in the hot water. John: When you see their faces they seem so satisfied. Takizawa: Of course they go in because they want to warm up they feel happy when they're warm so that's reflected on their faces. John: But maybe there are other reasons besides staying warm that these japanese macaques love to soak. Maybe it's just relaxing. But aren't they cold when they get out? Don't they need a towel? The thick winter coat is super warm and dries fast. They don't feel the chill the same way humans do. Typically a monkey will soak for up to 20 to 30 minutes. Sometimes even longer. The snow monkeys don't stay here for the night. They make their way to different places each night in the valley for safety, but coming back here in the morning, the society on full display for everyone who visits. The monkeys will take shelter often in trees. Evergreens in winter are good for blocking cold winds. Much of the forest is bare until spring. As you can see there are monkeys running all around this area. Of course you are in their home. This place has some rules that you need to follow. Keeping your distance and not petting or feeding the monkeys is essential to keep the monkey society from seeing human visitors as anything but visitors. Takizawa: Don't touch them, don't feed them. There's a reason for this. They'll become ferocious and aggressive to people then we can't observe the monkeys at this distance. Then we'll need fences and nets. John: And seeing the young ones here playing on the bridge we wouldn't want it any other way. They're not pets; they shouldn't see us as a source of food or affection. This is why they don't attack or harass visitors as long as visitors don't break the rules. In a way these rules are meant to protect you too. So just watch them especially the young monkeys playing on the bridge here. There aren't any cages here. The monkeys roam free. This is as far as you can go to the front of the bath and they don't seem shy about being photographed at all. You can see them anytime on the park's live webcam too. Visitors can go down to the river. The area bare of snow due to the natural geothermal heat underground. In many ways, Hell Valley is a paradise for monkeys. Down here you can observe the monkey society, how they work together, and identify the bosses too. So why does the monkey park exist? It started in 1964 as a means to protect them from us. The village is just a couple of kilometers away: Yamanouchi and Shibu Onsen. You can see the geothermal power at the geysers around town, the same at the monkey park. There are a couple of thousand people in town and if the monkeys came this way they'd become a menace and be trapped or get into accidents. It's best that they stay in the valley and the snow monkey park does just that. Takizawa: The monkeys here haven't been to areas people live yet. We don't want to exterminate the monkeys so we built this park to keep them around here so they won't go to habited areas by humans then we can protect them. John: Next to the park is an old Japanese inn, Korakukan, opened in 1864 - 100 years before the monkey park. It moved to its present spot in 1911. This is the first place in Japan monkeys bathed. An apple rolled into the bath and monkeys went in to get it. After that monkeys were often in the bath here. But really it's not recommended to bathe with wild animals. They may be carrying stuff that you don't want to bring home with you. In 1970 the Japanese snow monkey was highlighted on the cover of LIFE magazine and they've been a curiosity ever since. Attracting visitors from all over the world to observe them in their natural habitat. The Japanese macaque is the northernmost primate in the world. As far north as Aomori so it really is a unique environment meaning you won't see them eating bananas here. Feeding time They're being fed oomugi, or barley, today. Barley is full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Slightly nutty, chewy texture so monkeys love it. Takizawa-san dishes out handfuls of it all around so everyone gets a meal. He goes around the onsen bath, handfuls in every corner. They eat like this one at a time. They only eat food that grows locally like this barley, apples, soybeans, and food found in these mountains. Next he goes up the hill. And there's peace once again. For a few minutes all monkeys are focused on one thing: eating as much as they can. Takizawa-san next goes down to the river covering the monkeys there. Done for now. The babies wouldn't survive if they were born in winter so everything here is in a cycle: a schedule to increase survival. All four seasons are interesting here. Seeing the newborn babies in spring and mothers nursing them. Taking their first steps and walking in the summer, becoming playful and adventurous. Nagano's autumn foliage is stunning here and they start growing their winter coats out. Mating for the babies six months later in the spring again. John: Is there a monkey that loves to soak? Takizawa: Right now there's one in the hot spring. Her name is Tomiko-san. She loves it the most. John: She's always here! John: I think Tomiko-san knew we were talking about her. You really get to know the monkeys after a few days here. Tomiko-san: Thanks for coming. See you again soon. John: Mata ne. (See you again.) But nothing beats being here. Seeing our distant cousins monkeying around, enjoying a meal and hot bath before taking one myself. These snow monkeys are truly ONLY in JAPAN. And that was the Japanese snow monkey park experience. If you like this episode, consider subscribing to the ONLY in JAPAN channel and join me on another adventure as I take you to all the corners of this amazing country. Mata ne! (See you again!)

Channel: ONLY in JAPAN * John Daub

Views: 1,820,747

Keywords: Only in Japan, Japan, snow monkeys, Jigokudani, Japanese snow monkey park, Nagano, Yaen koen, 地獄谷野猿公苑, bathing monkeys, hot spring, dancing monkey, 5 little monkeys, John Daub, Primates, animal park, Amusement parks in Japan, what do monkeys eat, what to do in Japan in winter, Japanese macaque, Japanese monkey, monkeys in Japan, street view, onsen, Nagano attraction, monkey fight, ニホンザル, 猿, Mono de Japón, Japanischer Affe, singe japonais, Scimmia giapponese, जापानी बंदर, 日本猴子

Id: dbzHHzn6zB4

Length: 14min 32sec (872 seconds)

Published: Tue May 10 2022