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Male snow monkey
Monkeys in onsen at Yudanaka
Yudanaka, Japan Alps
Bathing monkeys
North west of Nagano City lies the fertile valley of the Chikuma river. This region is well known for its fruit farms and in particular apples the size of your palm! Peaches, blueberries and plums also grow in abundance.
At the end of the private Nagano Dentetsu train line is Yudanaka, a hot spring resort which sits perched in the hills intermingled with Yamanouchi town. There are many hot springs here and the most famous is Shibu Onsen at Jigokudani, which is the chosen home to more than one hundred Japanese snow monkeys, Japan's indigenous primate.
The park is located in "Hell Valley" so named because of its hot steam vents, sulphurous streams and other volcanic activity which all serve to naturally heat the spring waters bubbling through the rocks to form hot spring pools. One of these "onsen" baths is for use exclusively by the monkeys who can be seen bathing throughout most of the year, but especially during the cold winter months, when the air temperature drops below freezing and the valley is covered by a thick layer of snow.
Nearby Shiga-kogen offers skiing opportunities in the winter and some good walking routes through the summer months.
Yudanaka monkey
Baby monkey
Family time
16 Days from £4,215pp
ATMs accepting foreign issued debit and credit cards are available at most post offices, however they are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
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