Japanese macaques bathe in hot springs

Japanese macaques bathe in hot springs

Jigokudani Monkey Park (地獄谷野猿公苑 Jigokudani Yaen Kōen) is in Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan at 36°43′58″N 138°27′46″E / 36.732799°N 138.4627°E / 36.732799; 138.4627Coordinates: 36°43′58″N 138°27′46″E / 36.732799°N 138.4627°E / 36.732799; 138.4627. It is part of the Joshinetsu Kogen National Park, and is located in the valley of the Yokoyu-River, in the northern part of the prefecture. The name Jigokudani, meaning "Hell's Valley", is due to the steam and boiling water that bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground, surrounded by steep cliffs and formidably cold and hostile forests.

The heavy snowfalls (snow covers the ground for 4 months a year), an elevation of 850 meters, and being only accessible via a narrow two kilometer footpath through the forest, keep it uncrowded despite being relatively well-known.

The valley base at Jigokudani in June.

It is famous for its large population of wild Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata), more commonly referred to as Snow Monkeys, that go to the valley during the winter, foraging elsewhere in the national park during the warmer months. Starting in 1963, the monkeys descend from the steep cliffs and forest to sit in the warm waters of the onsen (hotsprings) , and return to the security of the forests in the evenings.

Jigokudani is not as far north as monkeys live. The Shimokita Peninsula is at the northern part of the Honshū island and the northwest area of this peninsula, latitude +41°31' longitude +140°56', approximately 500 km or 310 miles north from Jigokudani is the northern limit of Japanese Macaque habitat. No primate, with the exception of humans, is known to live in a colder climate.^[1][2]

In sub-zero temperatures, Japanese macaques soak in the warmth of a volcanic hotspring at Jigokudani (Hell's Valley) in Nagano Province, Japan

The Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), also referred to as Snow Monkeys, live freely in the Jigokudani park

The area is covered by snow in the winter months, and temperatures can drop as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius

Jigokudani is the only known place in the world where monkeys bathe in natural hot springs

The monkeys come down from the mountains where they spend the night and bathe during the day

The troops of monkeys have strict hierarchies, with babies inheriting their mother's status

Only the higher status monkeys get to bathe in the hot springs

The Japanese macaque is the most northern-living non-human primate in the world

Dozing off while bathing

Pictures: EPA

Wider view of the hot springs.