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.

Big Plane

Big Plane

1987 was the year when the first 350 tons ground effect “ship” from the series of Soviet battle missile carriers was produced. It was called Lun after the Russian name for a bird of prey - hen harrier. Another name for this vehicle was Project 903. It carried 6 Moskit cruise missiles (SS-N-22 Sunburn in NATO classification) . Hitting four of them causes inevitable sinking of a vessel of any know type and size. The second Lun-class battle aircraft was supposed to be produced in several years but due to the end of cold war and partial disarmament the project was changed to a rescue aircraft and it was never finished.

This type of vehicle called in Russian ekranoplan uses so called ground effect - extra lift of large wings when in proximity to the surface. For this reason they have been designed to travel at a maximum of three meters above the sea but at the same time could provide take off, stable “flight” and safe “landing” in conditions of up to 5-meter waves. These crafts were originally developed by the Soviet Union as high-speed military transports, and were based mostly on the shores of the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. In 2005 crafts of this type have been classified by the International Marine Organization so they probably should be considered flying ships rather than swimming planes. It is also interesting to note that this aircraft is one of the largest ever built, with a length of 73,8 meters (comparing with 73 of Airbus A380).

Lun doesn‘t have a landing gear, only a huge hydroski so there’s no way for it to get on land and for this reason a special floating dry dock was designed for it.

This hybrid vehicle is driven by 8 turbojet engines.

Functionally the body of this strange ship was divided into 4 parts: fore, middle, after-part and keel together with stabilizer. Fore part possesses pilot house and a pillar holding 8 main engines, as well as a room with secondary ones. Middle and after parts were fully equipped with test facilities but still have also a caboose and a toilet. The whole keel is filled with power installation for electricity supply during mooring and a complex of radio navigation and communication equipment. A room for a gunner is placed in a cross-line of keel and stabilizer at a height of 12 meters over the waterline.

The ecranoplan’s crew consisted of 7 officers and 4 warrant officers. It could be absolutely autonomous for 5 days.

Don’t miss the 2nd and 3rd pages of photos. There are plenty of them.

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visit to the space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- The astronauts aboard the shuttle-station complex celebrated the 40th anniversary of man's first moon landing with their own spacewalk Monday, heading outside to stockpile some big spare parts. In the second outing of their mission, David Wolf and Thomas Marshburn anchored a 6-foot (1.8-meter) dish antenna on the international space station for future use, then did the same with a hefty pump and an engine for a rail car. Three more spacewalks are planned during Endeavour's station visit, which ends July 28.

The view of the space shuttle Endeavour was provided by an Expedition 20 crew member during a survey of the approaching vehicle prior to docking with the International Space Station, Friday, July 17. As part of the survey and part of every mission's activities, the STS-127 Endeavour crew performed a back-flip for the rendezvous pitch maneuver. NASA via AP

Astronaut Tim Kopra, mission specialist, starts a series of five spacewalk sessions of ISS-related extravehicular activity for the STS-127 crew while standing forward port side area of Endeavour's cargo bay July 18, in Space. After multiple delays due to hydrogen leaks and weather conditions, Endeavour is to deliver components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory to the International Space Station. NASA via Getty Images

This view of the Space Shuttle Endeavour was provided by an Expedition 20 crewmember during a survey of the approaching vehicle prior to docking with the International Space Station July 17, in Space. NASA via Getty Images

An STS-127 crew member aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour recorded this image of the International Space Station as the two spacecfaft made their relative approaches July 17, in Space. NASA via Getty Images

Surrounded by the blackness of space, the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, visible in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay, vertical stabilizer (intersecting Earth's horizon) and orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods, the shuttle's remote manipulator system (RMS) and docking mechanism are featured in this image photographed by a STS-127 crew member from an aft flight deck window, Thursday, July 16. NASA via AP

The view of the space shuttle Endeavour was provided by an Expedition 20 crew member during a survey of the approaching vehicle prior to docking with the International Space Station, Friday July 17. NASA via AP

A partial view of space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay, vertical stabilizer and orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods are featured in this image photographed by a STS-127 crew member from an aft flight deck window, Thursday, July 16. NASA via AP

The Space Shuttle Endeavour during a survey of the approaching vehicle prior to docking with the International Space Station July 17, in Space. NASA via Getty Images

The exterior of the space shuttle Endeavour's crew cabin is one of a series of survey photos recorded by Expedition 20 crew members as the shuttle approached the International Space Station on Friday, July 17. NASA via AP

The underside of the crew cabin of the Space Shuttle Endeavour taken by an Expedition 20 crewmember during a survey of the approaching vehicle prior to docking with the International Space Station Friday July 17. NASA via AP

A head-on view of the space shuttle Endeavour provided by an Expedition 20 crew member during a survey of the approaching vehicle prior to docking with the International Space Station, Friday, July 17. The image was photographed with a digital still camera, using a 800mm lens at a distance of about 600 feet (180 meters). NASA via AP

This view of the underside of the crew cabin of the space shuttle Endeavour was provided by an Expedition 20 crew member during a survey by the approaching STS-127 crew to the International Space Station, Friday, July 17. NASA via AP

Astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-127 pilot, looks through an overhead window on the aft flight deck of space shuttle Endeavour during flight day two activities, Thursday, July 16. NASA via AP

An STS-127 crew member aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour recorded this image of the International Space Station as the two spacecfaft made their relative approaches July 17, in Space. NASA via Getty Images

Water vapor surrounds the US space shuttle Endeavour during liftoff on July 15, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, its sixth bid in recent weeks to launch toward the orbiting International Space Station. The mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Getty Images / Bruce Weaver

STS-127 Space Shuttle Endeavour launches from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center July 15, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. After multiple delays due to hydrogen leaks and weather conditions, Endeavour is to deliver components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory to the International Space Station. Getty Images / Chip Somodevilla

Photographers track space shuttle Endeavour as it lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, July 15. Endeavour is on a mission to the International Space Station. AP / John Raoux