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Published: October 15th 2008
Jigokudani Yaen-koen 1
What everyone wants to see.Nagano, like the few Japanese cities that I have so far experienece has lots of wide avenues lined by tall
buildings that are lit up very colourfully at night. The main attraction for me was the ease with which one
could get to Jigokudani Yaen-koen. Apparently it is the only place in the world you can witness monkeys
(Japanese macaques) bathe in hot springs.
On the way to Jigokudani Yaen-koen there are lots of orchards that are rich with fruit at this time of the
year: apples, grapes and satsumas. The apples and grapes are huge! All the fruit in Japan is expensive. The
large apples are tasty, the large dark grapes taste like Fanta grape (or maybe that should be the other way
round) and the satsumas are really sweet. The last bit of the journey to Jigokudani Yaen-koen is a minor
challenge as it involves a half an hour walk along a path - mostly uphill.
When you finally arrive you will encounter these so-called snow monkeys at very close range. They are so
used to humans treating them like super-models and are completely unfazed by the clikcing of cameras, literally, in
their faces. The babies
are particularly "kawaii" (cute) but even they learn very quickly to avoid the dominant
male. The surroundings are actually a bit of a disappointment - especially the pool where the monkeys take a dip.
The antics of the monkeys, thankfully, offset that.
Back at Nagano, the most notable place to visit is the Buddhist temple complex of Zenkoji - more beautiful
traditonal Japanese buildings to admire.
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