Snowmonkey
2016.10.6
Snowmonkey
A “Miraculous” park where you can observe wild monkeys at close range Jigokudani Yaen-koen
Jigokudani Yaen-koen is located in Joshin’etsu-kogen National Park in northern Nagano Prefecture. It is nestled in a valley of the Yokoyu River, which rises in the highlands of Shiga Kogen. Covered in snow for a third of the year, this park in the mountains lies a 2km, 30–40-minute walk from Kamibayashi Onsen. Why do the monkeys live here, so deep in the mountains? The wild monkeys (Japanese macaques) prefer to live deep in the mountains, far from human settlements. When you visit Jigokudani Yaen-koen, you are seeing the monkeys in their natural habitat. Most monkey species inhabit warm regions. Japanese macaques are the most northerly-living monkey species on Earth. This…
