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Snow Monkeys - Jigokudani Yaenkoen park

!!! The boss of Snow Monkeys suddenly died - 6.Nov 09 !!!
Snow in Monkey park !!!! - 7.March '10 15cm of fresh snow

MAIN INFORMATION YOU NEED

Official name - Jigokudani Yaenkoen
Nick name - Snow Monkey Park
7km from Yudanaka station.
Open all year. Hours: Summer (4-10) 8:30am-5:00pm
                                  Winter (11-3) 9:00am-4:00pm
Admission fee: Adult 500yen, Child 250yen
Kind of monkey: Japanese Macaque
Around 200 monkeys are living here in the moment.

Book accommodation around Snow Monkey park
my best recommendations & actual deals

THIS PLACE TROUGH MY EYES
I visit Snow Monkey park at least one time in a month.
Park is really in the forest where are just monkeys. You have to walk to get there 10min or 25min dpend to way you choose to go there. The walk tracks are trough the forest and are very enjoyable in each years period. You can meet some monkeys even before the entrance. They are just walking around or sitting on the trees. Behind the entrace there are monkeys everywhere. You can get very close to them, take detail pictures or movie and observe the real monkey life. I enjoy watching small young and very cute ones. On the way to the main spot, what is kind of pool with hot spring water made by stones in size aprox. 10x5meters, you will pass 6 meter high rising hot spring. This place is between hills so you are walking trough the valley and it has special amosphere made by nature.

NEGATIVES (what people mostly complain about)
In winter time your feet get very cold, because you walk and stand on the snow all the time.
(make sure you wear warm shoes and warm socks)
In spring and autumn it is not possible to avoid mud so your shoes will get dirty.
In summer you feel the same smell like in ZOO, where is lots of animals.
Monkeys obviesly don't have toilet, so watch your step ;)
In summer staff put some grain to the water, because the pool is not as full of monkeys as in winter time.

BIT OF HISTORY
Monkey park was estabilished in the year 1964. Two groups of monkeys were coming close to the rising hot spring and in the winter startet to worming up in the small hole. Local people sow it and made bigger open air bath for them aprox 300meter further. From that time monkeys made they home over here. There is only one grup of monkeys in the moment. From certain point you can see rising hot spring, steam and around high clifs what remind you hell - that is the reason local people started to call this place Hell's valley (Jogokudani). Current owner of Monkey park is Nagano Dentecu railway company.

INTERESTING
*Monkeys are living in the hierarchy. It means the group has one boss. Park's employee firs feed the boss after that his family and in the end ather monkeys. (They feed them 3times in a day, so if you ar lucky you can see that). All of the monkeys have respect from the boss. *In the souvenier shop are hanging portrait pictures of all previous bosses and current one, with the lengt of the time of his leading duration. If the boss die or leave this group, his possiton replace new strong leader. This is picture of current boss of Monkey park ->
*Monkeys are sleaping on the treas in sitting position.
*Staff is feeding them by grain, apples and they pick up fleas from each other or eating leaves, shoots or bark.

* Photo-Gallery Snow Monkey interactive gallery
* Live Camera from Jigokudani Wild Monkey park
* Videos on YouTube from Jigokudani Wild Monkey park

HOW TO GET THERE from NAGANO city

By TRAIN
from Nagano City get off the train at last stop Yudanaka st. (￥1300, 50min, 33km), then take a bus to Kambayashi Onsen (￥250, ￥130 child, 15min, 6km) and then you have to walk (30min, 3km)
Train time table -from Nagano City to Yudanaka st.
By BUS
On the way from Nagano City get off the bus at Kambayashi stop (￥1300, 40min, 33km) and then you have to walk(30min, 3km). Bus operated jus 4 times in a day - Bus time table

HOW TO GET THERE from YUDANAKA or SHIBU ONSEN

By SNOW MONKEY MiniBus - (Very convinient, just during the witner) - more info>>>
only during winter

By local BUS
Local Bus is operating from Yudanaka trough Shibu Onsen(￥160) to Kambayashi Onsen(￥250) where you will take off the bus. Bus going to Shiga Kogen hights and back.

By TAXI, CAR, ON FOOT, SPECIAL BUS
There is second way how to get to Monkey park- Walking track from Jigokudani parking place.
I reccomend this way in the case you come by car, you take a taxi from Yudanaka station or you want to go on foot. The main difference is the final walking distance-only 10min (1km).
* by TAXI (1800 yen from Yudanaka station, 1200 yen from Shibu Onsen)
* by CAR (Parking fee 500 yen) THIS ROUD IS CLOSED FOR PUBLIC DURING THE WINTER !!!
(from 1. Dec till middle of April)
* on FOOT - from Shibu Onsen it takes 1hour. Very nice walk for those who likes hiking !
* by SNOW MONKEY MiniBus (during winter only!!!), bus is runnig from YUDANAKA
STATION and SHIBU ONSEN ONLY !!!

Distance between Yudanka and Jigokudani Parking place 7km (70-80min on foot)
Distance between Shibu Onsen and Jigokudani Parking place 4km (40-50min on foot)
From Jigokudani parking place to entrance of Monkey Park - 1km (10-15min on foot)

MAP
How to get to Monkey park from Yudanaka-Shibu Onsen

MY RECOMMENDATIONS (before you leave this place)
- you can have a lunch in the ryokans restaurant (you can enjoy typical food in
Nagano - Soba noodels )
- you can buy souvenir in the restaurant or reception, very
famous and tasty sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves
made by old grandmother of the ryokan. (just say sticky
rice and amount you want)
- you can take a bath in the ryokan even you just pass this
place. For 500 yen you can enter the open air bath what
you can even see between the hotel and river(unisex), or
indoor baths for ladies and men. They are renting towels too
(300yen). Just ask in the receptions, they speak a bit english.
- if you have few minutes more, I highly recommend you to have
a walk through the very old street of Shibu Onsen. You can
even take bath in Shibu Onsen and have a lunch. It is hundreds years old street full of hot
springs, ryokans hotel, guests wearing Yukata, lokals in kimono and full of great
Japanese     atmosphere.

MY FOTOS