Within the Jigokudani Valley in Yamanouchi lies a forest famous for its wild population of Japanese macaques. Also called snow monkeys, these creatures congregate in the Jigokudani Monkey Park during the day while staff provide them with food. Entering the park only costs 800 yen (approximately $8), so if you have a yearning for unusual animal encounters, think pangolins are oddly cute, or like saying “yellow-bellied marmot” as much as you love seeing yellow-bellied marmots, then you should hop, skip, and jump your way over to Japan to see these darling snow monkeys in person. Be prepared for them to steal your heart (and possibly a couple of your belongings as well). But if you need more persuasion to convince you to go, here are 10 reasons you should visit Jigokudani Monkey Park!
(Hint: all 10 reasons are decidedly monkey-related, in case you were at all unsure about that)
1. Get Up Close and Personal
The snow monkeys are wild and are free to roam the park and the forest, which means there are no cages between you and the monkeys! Because park staff feed them, monkeys visit here regularly year-round so you should be able to see them any time of year that you go. The monkeys come and go as they please but are used to seeing humans around all the time, so they laze in the sun or swim in their personal onsen (hot springs) with no fear of the people nearby. Stop and say hi to any and all monkeys on your way into the park and near the onsen, but remember that even if they are acting friendly they still need their personal space and you should not touch them! Staff members are always on hand to protect the monkeys (and you) and will very clearly let you know if you are breaking any rules or getting too close. So just maintain a friendly distance; after all, you wouldn’t want some stranger in your personal space either, would you?
2. Monkey Parades
Don’t rain on my (monkey) parade—at Jigokudani Monkey Park the monkeys walk on the human pathways too, which means you can frequently see them promenading up and down the bridge and walkways in pairs of two or three or even in whole lines! Sometimes they scamper quickly or chase each other, other times they walk regally like they own the place. Hold your applause, stand to the side to let them pass, and perhaps even laugh with glee if you’re as obsessed with these silly, odd-faced creatures as I am!
3. Monkey Spa Time
Talk about luxury! The Jigokudani Snow Monkeys have their own onsen that they love swimming and splashing in. The park is set up so there are various viewing platforms to see the monkeys as they enjoy their spa time, which gives you excellent access to multiple sides of the onsen. Many visitors recommend going in January or February when it is snowing because the contrast between the frigid cold and snow and the heat and steam of the onsen is particularly striking.
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4. Hungry, Hungry Monkeys
At risk of sounding like a snow monkey stalker, I’m going to suggest that you also go to the monkey park so you can watch them while they eat. Just look at their tiny, dexterous hands! The staff feed them grains, which the monkeys forage for and then pull up bits of grains to eat while sitting hunched over in the onsen. I also highly recommend watching them eat because sometimes it makes them look like little philosophers or The Thinker statue (see the above left photo). I find the concept of a philosopher snow monkey really funny, but to be honest I probably also look a lot like the above left monkey when I look in the fridge for lunch, so who am I to talk?
5. Sunbathing Monkeys
When the monkeys are done swimming/eating, they jump out of the onsen and sometimes find a rock to sit on and air dry while watching the humans. If you’ve ever wondered what a snow monkey would look like if it pretended to be a lion, you’re in for a treat. The dry, fluffy hair on their heads stands out like lion manes against the backdrop of their drenched bodies, giving them also a slight resemblance to my cat that one time I tried to bathe her (never again). They’re ugly in an oh-so-cute way, and I can guarantee you won’t want to miss it.
6. Monkey Grooming
Since the monkeys are clearly just living their lives here and not putting on a show of perfection, you get to experience the full range of their behaviors. Which includes grooming each other. With their fluffy hair and scurrying hand scratches, even the monkeys’ daily hygiene routines are fun to see as they help each other out and search for fleas. Unfortunately you don’t get an opportunity to see if they would give you a head scratch too, since as I mentioned earlier you aren’t allowed to get that close to them…and it probably wouldn’t be wise to let them get that close to you either.
7. Baby Monkeys Playing
Think there couldn’t be anything cuter than snow monkeys playing and eating? Well what about baby snow monkeys playing and eating! The small fellow above was swinging from the bars of the bridge during my visit and sliding down the bridge beams like a fireman on a fire pole. He also seemed to just enjoy hanging in there, like the well-known cat from the motivational poster. Don’t pass up this excellent opportunity to watch some adorable monkeying around (and experience first hand why they call them the “monkey bars” on the playground).
8. Photo Opportunities
We all know one of the best parts about going somewhere is taking photos to show your friends, right? (Well, at least that’s what Instagram thinks should be our priority). But it is somewhat true here that taking pictures is one of the best parts, especially when your models are baby snow monkeys. This little ham spent several minutes posing on our way into the park and is a true natural in front of the camera! He even posed next to my 6-year-old brother and allowed me to get a picture of them staring into each others’ eyes. So come prepared with the knowledge that photo opportunities abound and you should bring plenty of camera batteries and SD cards to capture your experience!
9. Find Your Tribe
Whether your tribe is a group of monkeys or a group of people who adore snow monkeys (it’s likely your tribe is in at least one of these categories if you’ve read this far), you’ll certainly find someone to chat with at Jigokudani. These little fellows seemed to be telling me they planned to keep eating, grooming, playing, and bathing for the rest of the day (though I’m not great at sign language or reading gestures so maybe they were sharing their plans to conquer the world?)…meanwhile I shared with them that my plans for the day were to continue on to Shibu Onsen to stay at a ryokan that evening. It’s always fun to have someone to chat with, and where else will you get the opportunity to chat with a couple of snow monkeys?
10. Snow Monkey Acting Lessons
If you’re looking for somewhere to learn acting while on vacation, Jigokudani Monkey Park is just about as good as you’ll be able to find. Case in point: the monkey above pretending he doesn’t know how cute he is and also that he doesn’t know why everyone wants to take his picture. If you go early enough in the year you may also be rewarded with some snow left from the winter, which is exciting because 1) It’s snow, and 2) You can see snow monkeys in the SNOW. Does it get any better than that? Highly unlikely. But if you need even more convincing that Jigokudani Monkey Park is an excellent stop on your next Japan trip, check out this live cam that shows the monkeys going about their day. Then feel free to make viewing the live cam a daily ritual and obsess over the monkeys until you finally book flights to Japan just to see them in person! (That’s what I did and it worked out really nicely, if I do say so myself.) Welcome to the snow monkey fan club!
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