Jigokudani Monkey Park

Jigokudani Monkey Park - Japanese Snow Monkeys - Japanese spa Monkeys where the wild monkeys sit in the hotsprings in winter. Japan’s Jigokudani Monkey Park (地獄谷野猿公苑 Jigokudani Yaenkōen) is in Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture. It is part of the Joshin-etsu Kogen National Park, and is located in the valley of the Yokoyu-River, in the northern part of the prefecture. The name Jigokudani, meaning “Hell’s Valley”, is due to the steam and boiling water that bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground, surrounded by steep cliffs and formidably cold and hostile forests. Japanese Snow Monkeys Snow Monkeys in Jigokudani Hot Spring. Picture by Yosemite. The heavy snowfalls (snow covers the ground for 4 months a year), an elevation of 850 meters, and being only accessible via a narrow two kilometer footpath through the forest, keep it uncrowded despite being relatively well-known. It is famous for its large population of wild Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata), more commonly referred to as Snow Monkeys, that go to the valley during the winter, foraging elsewhere in the national park during the warmer months. The monkeys descend from the steep cliffs and forest to sit in the warm waters of the onsen (hotsprings), and return to the security of the forests in the evenings. Nagano Hotels Looking for Nagano Accommodation? Please support our site by using our Nagano Hotels reservation system and save up to 70% on accommodation. Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License) |