Jigokudani Monkey Park in Japan

Brrr... It's winter and it's freezing! During the cold season, there's nothing better than snuggling under a warm blanket on the couch, right? But the Japanese macaques at Jigokudani Monkey Park have found an even better way to warm up. And the images of this spectacle are sure to bring a smile to your face!

How wonderful it feels to jump into a hot spring to warm up and relax during the cold! The snow monkeys at Jigokudani Monkey Park in Japan surely think the same, as they leap into the park's hot springs with their entire troop amidst the cold and snowfall. It's a fun sight that you simply must see!

Located northwest of Japan's capital, Tokyo, Jigokudani Monkey Park is where the Japanese macaques indulge in their hot bathing pleasure. Nagano Prefecture is well-known and a popular ski region for Japanese tourists thanks to its heavy and prolonged snowfall, with up to one meter of snow for four months each year. While foreign tourists come for skiing too, the actual highlight of the region is the Jigokudani Monkey Park, which is part of the Joshinetsu National Park.

The fresh snow crunches under the feet of visitors as they make their way along the approximately two-kilometer path through a small forest to the hot springs of the park. Temperatures during the winter months can drop to minus 7 degrees - even this one to two-kilometer trek can become a challenge. But once you arrive, you've made it to the valley. Jigokudani translates to Hell Valley, and the landscape does vaguely resemble a boiling underworld. Thick steam rises above the hot springs, and a foul sulfur smell lingers in the air. Light snowfall falls from the sky, blanketing the trees and paths of the park. Visitors are rewarded for their challenging trek with a surreal and incredibly beautiful view!

Since its establishment in the 1960s, Jigokudani Monkey Park has attracted visitors from all over the world. The macaques living here year-round are friendly, and no fence separates the group-living primates from the curious visitors.

However, the park management consistently reminds everyone that these monkeys are wild animals, which can be observed in the park and the rest of the national park - a unique feature in Japan - within their natural habitat. The entrance fee to this unique park is 500 Japanese yen, which is a little over 4$. For 6.50$, you can join a guide who will show you around the park and directly to the monkeys. For what you are offered here, it's a more than fair price. By the way, the monkeys only bathe in the hot springs during the winter months from November to March, known in Japan as onsen. In the summer months, it's warm enough for the animals to retreat to the forests.

Paved paths or roads are nowhere to be found in Joshinetsu Park, so sturdy footwear and plenty of drinks during a tour are just as important as respecting the animals and plants that live here. Bathing with the monkeys is strictly prohibited, as is feeding or picking up the animals. The use of selfie sticks is also forbidden. The animals should be disturbed as little as possible. The nearest town, Yudanaka, is a few kilometers away, ensuring the animals can live far from civilization.

It's simply fascinating how similar the monkeys are to us in so many ways, isn't it? Now I really feel like having a hot bath in an onsen too. Are you feeling the same way? In my video, which I brought back from my last trip to Japan, you'll get more exciting insights into the land of the rising sun:

Video: Vacation Guru