Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park Nagano Japan #japantouristguide #tourguiding #snowmonkey #alttravels

The Jigokudani Wild Snow Monkey Park, called Jigokudani Yaen-Koen in Japanese, was established in 1964 to create a space where the social structure of Japanese Macaques could be studied. Some say that the park was built after locals noticed the monkeys climbing into the hot spring of a nearby ryokan. No other nonhuman primate is known to live in such cold, snowy climates as the Japanese macaque, and soaking in the hot springs seems to be one way for them to endure the frigid weather.

Jigokudani’s resident troupe is made up of over 200 monkeys that call the mountains around the valley their home. They visit the park during the day to bathe in the springs and eat food provided by the staff of the park. The monkeys are given enough food to encourage their visits, but not so much to make them dependent on humans.

The park is located at the end of a 30 minute walk through a picturesque cedar forest from Kanbayashi, a convenient 45-minute bus ride from Nagano Station.