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Published: March 28th 2024
It is not unusual to hear from us that once again we are chasing a bucket list item. This particular one was generated as usual from those dang National Geographic magazines. This time, we were in search of those wonderfully photographed snow monkeys. Now technically, they are Japanese macaques, but since almost everyone calls the “snow monkeys,” that’s what we’re going with. We were eager to get to Nagano in early March to see the snow monkeys. We had read the best chance of seeing them in the snow was February, but we would not be able to get there until the 10
thof March and yet we remained hopeful. Snowy snow monkeys here we come!
A late morning flight from Okinawa to Tokyo and then a train ride had us arriving in Nagano late afternoon. We were able to check into the hotel, settled in, and then went out for dinner to a local brew pub two blocks from our hotel. The beer was pretty good, and they even had sausages on the menu, which is unique to us in Japan. Maybe they are catering to the European tourists, some of whom come here for the skiing. It was noticeably
The Matriarch
Japanese Macaquescolder at this mountain elevation and the weather forecast could bring a bit of snow. We double checked the details for the all-day tour planned with the Klook agency the following day which would have us visit the Zenko-ji Temple, have a sake tasting, lunch and then off to visit the Snow Monkey Park. It looked like we had all we needed so we began to stack our clothes for the following morning- thermal underwear, layers of shirts, coat, hat, gloves, scarf, and such. We would take extra layers in the backpack just in case. At this altitude and possibly some snow in the forecast, a good clothing plan would be essential.
As morning came, we woke before the alarm. Excitement filled the air and when we looked out the window, we were truly happy to see a dusting of snow on the city of Nagano. The reports are it was actively snowing at the monkey park. Could the perfect setting be awaiting us on our visit?
You may not be surprised to learn we were the first of the group of 24 to arrive at the meeting point. We were given name tags and basic instructions. It
was time to head to the bus.
Zenkō-ji Temple Our first stop was exploring the older part of Nagano surrounding the Zenko-ji Temple and the temple itself. It is a 7
th century temple whose name translates to “Temple of the Benevolent Light.” Although the temple has been rebuilt multiple times over the centuries, it is still revered and is one of the remaining pilgrimage sites in Japan. Turns out, the temple belongs to two separate Buddhist sects, which both co-manage the temple. Another interesting thing here is that the temple has a statue of Binzuru, who was a physician and a follower of Buddha. Visitors que up and touch a part of the statue that corresponds to an ailment that they may have….going for the cure, for sure.
On our way back down the street from the temple, we stopped and had an apple custard tart that our guide recommended… and wow… they had the perfect balance of pastry, warm custard and apples! Yum!
A Sake Tasting Next up was the sake tasting. As hard as we try, we are not in love with sake. We went in open-minded assuming this would be better sake
than what we have tried in the past. We learned how they make and age sake, and we sampled seven or eight different sakes… each promising a little more something. It did nothing for us. We’re done with sake. More for everyone else…..
We are convinced this may have been the Boone’s farm of sake!
The Snow Monkey Park! After a very nice lunch that was part of the tour, it was on to the snow monkey park, which was about 45 minutes across the valley and up the hills. Our driver navigated the roads with ease. Our guide told us about the excellent skiing in the area and a few on our trip were going skiing the next day. We were getting closer to those mountains.
Once we got off the bus, we were handed our tickets to the park and were directed up the hill. We reached the starting point of the snowy walk which had a sign advertising the park and arrows pointing the way and a warning that it was a 1.6 km walk or about one mile. We eagerly began the voyage moving through the tree lined and snowy path. We
learned quickly we need to go slowly as it was warming a bit and some of the ice and snow were slippery. Tread on some good shoes are vital to a successful walk. They do sell crampons at the store at the beginning of the hike if you came unprepared. Although we were dressed for warmth, we saw many people in clothing that made us cold just to look at. A few had on sneakers. Oh, well….we stayed warm.
The walk was lovely, taking you along a man-made drainage ditch filled with melting water rolling off the mountain. It was well crafted and beautiful, so it added to the ambiance. Many people were excited and walking fast to get to the monkeys as quickly as they could. We walked a bit slower to ensure safety and arrived about ten minutes later than the others. We were given an hour and forty-five minutes in the park, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the magnificent creatures. There were two pools and a stream the monkeys enjoyed.
We were told the local people found the monkeys a bit of a nuisance for years. An owner of a hotel in
Say Hello
Only a mother could love that face this area who had indoor and outdoor onsen pools was annoyed by the monkeys playing in the pools where his guest were trying to enjoy the thermal waters. He could not get them to stop getting in his pools, so he got the idea to build more pools further up the mountain in hopes the monkeys would leave his guest alone. After some coaxing it worked. One interesting thing is we saw a couple of monkeys lower down the mountain in the outdoor onsen with some guest. I guess they have all learned to live together. The monkey park brings in big dollars.
Upon arrival to the pool, we immediately noticed that there were not many monkeys in the water….that changed quickly over the next 45 minutes or so as they started to converge on the warm waters. We suspect there were about 75 monkeys in total. Soon, the photo ops were plentiful, watching the little one’s drink from the pool and even swim a bit. The matriarch of the group spent the most time in the water, seemingly just keeping an eye on things. Others played and chased one another on the surrounding snow-filled hills. Overall, a very
active group. They had created several viewing areas which made it easy to get close for photographs and not bother them in their natural surroundings. With that said, at least two times the monkey sauntered past us and brushed against our let. We stood still to let them pass. One could observe a pecking order to things.
It is wonderful how close you can get to these animals. It is interesting that they have adapted to the warm waters as this is not the normal behavior of the Japanese Macaques in the rest of the country. As a matter of fact, this group of monkeys have evolved, and they no longer have tails. If you see the macaques in the rest of the country they will have a tail.
One of us said I posted too many photos of monkeys. No names.
Where we stayed: NAGANO TOKYU REI HOTEL
Restaurant we enjoyed: Yamanoma Brewery
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Billie
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Bucket list
Can't wait to hear what's left on your list. The monkeys are really cute!