Nagano Attractions | Go to Nagano to see wild macaques bathing in hot springs in winter—Nagano Jigokudani Monkey Park

#naturalscape A photo of a monkey bathing in a hot spring in heavy snow has attracted countless tourists to visit the extremely popular attraction "Jigokudani Monkey Park" in Nagano Prefecture. Established in 1964, it is a park with a natural environment without fences or cages, where you can observe wild Japanese macaques up close. Transportation guide: Jigokudani Monkey Park is located deep in the mountains. No matter where you depart from Japan, please arrive at "JR Nagano Station" first. The easiest and most convenient way is to take the Nagaden Express and get off at the East Exit Bus Station No. 4 (bus The stop sign says Nozawa Onsen. Madarao Plateau direction, Shiga Kogen direction) Take the bus "bound for Kuma no Yu. Inkawa" for 45 minutes and get off at "Snow Monkey Park (SNOW MONKEY PARK)/Kamibayashi Onsenguchi". It takes 45 minutes. , follow the signs and walk for about 40 to 60 minutes to get there. It is highly recommended to purchase the "SNOW MONKEY PASS" snow monkey pass, which includes round-trip transportation and admission to the park. There are not many fixed flights, so be sure to check the return timetable before setting off. I arrived in Nagano at the end of February. The weather was nice and warm. I took the Nagaden Express Bus to reach the mouth of Kamibayashi Hot Spring. Then I followed other tourists and walked along the winding trail for about 40 minutes. There were cliffs on one side and steep slopes on the other. There are no railings at all, which is indeed a bit dangerous in the snow season. The walkway is relatively flat and there are steep stairs until you reach the entrance of the park. After passing the ticket gate of the cabin, you officially enter the Wild Monkey Park. Although they are wild macaques, feeding is prohibited! Along the way, there will be some small macaques lying or sitting on free piles of stones for sunbathing. There are more macaques near the hot spring area. The weather is nice today and the snow has melted, so there are no macaques to take a dip in. There will be staff present secretly throwing feed into the hot spring pool to attract the macaques, which can also satisfy the tourists who come all the way to see the macaques. I have to say that in this wild macaque park, I didn’t see cleaning staff, but no matter whether I walked or walked on the cliff, I couldn’t see the macaque excrement, and there was no strong smell. Macaques should be very used to people walking around. They won't attack or snatch things. They just do their own thing. Even Japanese macaques are very polite. Nagano Prefecture is one of the cities with the largest amount of snow in Japan in winter. When you come to Jigokudani Wild Park in winter, you must wear warm clothes or waterproof snowshoes. There are no rest seats in the natural environment, let alone lockers. The lighter the better. Well, everyone is welcome to visit Nagano. #familytravel # Hell Valley Monkey Park # Nagano # Shanglin Hot Spring # Snow Monkey # Japan # 100 Ways to Travel # Natural Landscape