Japan #6 – Snow Monkeys – December 2014

May 14, 2019

Let the truth be known, one of the main reasons Monika and I wanted to visit Japan was to see the amazing Snow Monkeys. In the frigid valley of Japan’s Shiga-Kogen (Shiga Highlands) near Nagano, the site of 1998 Winter Olympics, there is a thermal spring that has been discovered by a troop of Japanese Macaque monkeys. They are also known as the Snow Monkeys because they live in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year. No other non-human primate is more northern-living, nor lives in a colder climate, surviving winter temperatures of below -15 °C, (5°F). They have brown-gray fur, a red face, hands and bottom, a short tail and big ears, and often seem remarkably human-like.

Jigokudani Yaenkoen Park

When they are not in the hot springs or feeding, the Japanese Macaques huddle together to stay warm.

In 1964 the Jigokudani Yaenkoen Park opened. It is located in the valley of the Yokoyu River that flows down from the Shiga-Kogen. At an elevation of 850 m, (2,788 ft), surrounded by steep cliffs and hot water steaming out from the earth’s surface, the area is called Jigokudani (“Hell’s Valley”). The monkeys discovered the pool of warm water and made it their winter home. Free food too…..

Japan Rail Pass

We loved watching the baby snow monkeys cuddling and nursing.

A great way to travel through Japan is with the Japan Rail Pass. You need to buy it before you arrive in Japan. From Kanazawa, it took three train rides, a bus and finally a taxicab, (because an avalanche had closed the train tracks), to get to our accommodation in the Hakuba area. Dragging our luggage behind us through the snow we arrived at the Pension Ratanrirun, mostly frequented by skiers and snow borders. It was a cozy place with a Japanese style hot tub, bathroom down the hall and comfortable beds.

Where is that little bugger? I know you are in there.

In the morning, getting an early start to avoid the crowds, a bus brought us to the trailhead for the Snow Monkey Park. From there it was a steep 40-minute hike up a treacherously icy trail to the hot pool where this particular troop of Japanese Macaques has made its hangout. For the first time during our two-year adventure around the world, we wished we had our MSR trekking poles and our Yaktrax traction clip-ons for ice and hard-packed snow, but of course they were packed safely in The Turtle V, now in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on its way to California.

We could tell you all kinds of wonderful things about these amazing monkeys but the pictures are worth a thousand words. Just for fun we have included a caption here and there. The animals are so used to tourists; thousands come every year to see them. In the wild they spend most of their time in forests and feed on seeds, buds, fruit, invertebrates, berries, leaves, and bark. In the park they are fed rice in the winter by Park Rangers who watch over the crowd to make sure no one steps out of line. A sign at the entrance says it all:

“You may think these monkeys are your long-lost relatives. They don’t! Don’t touch them.”

That evening, delighted we had finally seen the famous snow monkeys, we walked through the neighborhood in search of dinner. Skiers were happy. The snow was dumping hard. The air was crisp and the fresh powder was squeaking under our boots. It was a magical night, our last in Japan. A local bar served some excellent Sashimi, still a bit pricey. The restaurant that supposedly offered Kobe beef was already closed so we ended up eating the worst pizza we’ve ever had.

New Year’s Eve 2014 – The longest ever – 32 hours!

Trudging back to the train station in the morning in the dark, we caught a series of trains to the Narita airport in Tokyo for our flight to San Francisco. It was New Year’s Eve 2014, the longest we have ever experienced (32 hours).

More Adventures ahead

You may think that’s the end of our adventures. It’s not. As you read this, we are packing The Turtle V for an extended trip in South America. Our goal will be to see the many places we missed in 1988/1989, back when internet did not exist. Our bucket list will include Carnival in Oruro, Bolivia; thick juicy steaks from the famous grass-fed beef of Argentina; parking in the middle of 35,000 sheep waiting to be sheared in Patagonia; getting a close-up personal look at the Emperor Pinguins of Antarctica; exploring the vast wetlands of the Pantanal in Brasil……see you there!

: This was not the bullet train but it got us to Hakuba, our destination.

: By the time we got to this train stop, the tracks had been blocked by an avalanche.

: While waiting for the train, Gary was having fun shooting photos.

: Our Pension Ratanrirun, outside Hakuba was a comfortable place to stay.

: Our room was comfortable, Japanese style. No chairs.

: As the new storm moved in, the view from our window was magical.

: Getting an early start in the morning, we trudged up the icy trail from the bus stop to the Snow Monkey Park.

: We arrived a couple of hours before the crowds came in behind us. We spent several hours at the pool, warming up with hot chocolate in the souvenir shop during waves of tourists.

: Japanese Macaques were so much fun to watch. They ignored all the dumb tourists constantly snapping photos.

: Japanese Macaque monkeys have brown-gray fur, a red face, hands and bottom, a short tail and big ears, and often seem remarkably human-like.

: Don’t worry auntie, I’m just checking your ear.

: Yeah, yeah, right there. Oh, that feels so good!

: We loved watching the baby snow monkeys cuddling and nursing.

: Hey mom, where are we going?

: Are they taking a picture of us?

: No, it must be them over there….

: Oh my God, they are taking a picture of us.

: Wow, several people are taking a picture of us.

: Look at the size of those cameras!

: Ah, this warm water feels so good.

: Excuse me! I haven’t even dried off yet.

: You may think these are your long lost relatives but they don’t. No one is allowed to feed or touch them.

: Monika got as close to this cuddling group of snow monkeys as she dared.

: The ranger told us that we should not look in a monkey’s eyes because that shows aggression. This particular female monkey loved to sit on her perch but every time Monika pointed the camera at Gary, she looked down or away, thinking the camera “eye” was looking at her.

: This baby Macaque sat for hours on a submerged rock entertaining himself with his hands. Mom must have parked him there because he had gotten in trouble!

: Snow monkey babies often hitch a ride on the back of their mothers.

: Baby Macaques would hitch rides across the pool.

: A youngster played with a snowball like any child would but we never saw him throw it.

: When the rangers threw out rice, the monkeys quickly ran to pick up every grain in the snow using both hands.

: It just kept snowing. Too bad we weren’t there to ski.

: A little plate of Sashimi cost $12. OK for an hors d’oeuvre.

: This had to be the worst example of pizza we’ve ever had. Too bad the Kobe beef restaurant was already closed.

: Early in the morning, we caught the first of several trains that would bring us to the Narita in Tokyo for our flight back to California. It was the longest New Year’s Eve we have ever experienced. (32 hours)