Snow Monkeys of Japan

スノーモンキー

The Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani Yaenkoen in Nagano Prefecture have now achieved world fame as the monkeys who love to take a hot bath in winter. Featured in documentaries by David Attenborough and on the cover of Life Magazine, these bathing apes must be the most photographed monkeys on the planet.

The troupe of Japanese Macaques, who frequent the hot spring (onsen) in Jigokudani Yaenkoen, in Nagano Prefecture in central Japan, began visiting the pools sometime in the 1960s, possibly after observing humans doing the same thing...and liking it.

Such is the fame and expectation of these daily simian ablutions, food is now placed around and in the pools to satisfy the hundreds of camera and video-toting visitors who come to see the macaques bathe and play.

Winter is best time to see the macaques when their enjoyment and sense of fun in the hot water is tangible. Then their coats, where they are exposed, are frosted, even coated with snow, yet they look so warm and content (until that is they walk off to the forest again).

Despite the pampered treatment of the Japanese Macaques at Jigokudani Yaenkoen for the 1000s of snap-happy tourists who visit each year, over a 100,000 of these monkeys are killed each year in Japan, classified as pests, for their pilfering of farmer's harvests.

Access

Jidokudani-Yaenkoen

From Tokyo Station, take the JR Shinkansen (bullet train) to Nagano Station. Change to the Nagano Dentetsu train to Yudanaka (40 minutes by express or 1 hour by local train). From Yudanaka, catch a local bus (15 minutes) or take a taxi to Kanbayashi Onsen. From here it's a 20-30 minute walk to Jigokudani Yaenkoen (Entrance 500 yen).

© JapanVisitor.com & Mark Brazil


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Gero Onsen Onsen Museum

温泉博物館

The Onsen Museum is an interesting break from enjoy the hot springs in Gero. The museum displays a number of water samples from onsens from all over Japan, as well as hot spring paraphernalia - bath salts, onsen tamago and water pipes - some of the latter dating back to the Edo Period.



You can learn how hot springs are formed and perform some simple experiments using the water from Gero's hot springs. For an extra charge there's even an ashiyu (footbath) out on the museum's veranda.



The museum is open daily (except Thursday) from 9am-5pm. Adults 400 yen; children 200 yen.



Gero Onsen Onsen Museum
Tel: 0576 25 3400

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Onsen Tamago

温泉卵

If you stay at a hot spring resort in Japan, you may well be served an onsen tamago (hot spring egg) for breakfast or dinner.



These weird looking eggs are traditionally cooked in the waters of the hot spring. The eggs are placed in rope nets and left in the hot water for around 30-40 minutes - the low temperature heating causes the egg yolks to harden more than the egg white. The eggs are thus poached within the shells.



The eggs are usually eaten in a light sauce made of mirin, dashi and soy sauce with chopped spring onions sprinkled over the top. The image below is a model of an onsen tamago at the Onsen Museum in Gero.



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Hotel Fujihara Gero Onsen

ホテルふじはら

A little over a 2 hour drive from Nagoya city, Gero Onsen in Gifu Prefecture will have snow when there is none to be seen on the streets of Nagoya to the south. The kids wanted a snowball fight, so this seemed the logical choice to head for. Peaceful and relaxed Gero is an excellent place to unwind over the New Year vacation.



We stayed at Hotel Fujihara, south of the Hida River, a short drive west of JR Gero Station. Built in the 1960s, Fujihara is showing its age, rather grimy surfaces all covered with thousands of maneki neko cats. Insulation? Open your room door and an icy blast will sweep in from the valley outside. The bath, too, is a small affair, not much bigger than most bathrooms at home, but the water is piping hot and there are no curfews.



Fujihara's selling points are its price - just 8,000 yen a night including dinner and breakfast - and its excellent local food. Grilled river fish, local mountain vegetables and delicious ji sake. There is no dining room, so meals are served in your room.



If you want a touch of luxury try the more central Gero Spa Suimeikan Hotel (Tel: 0576 25 2800) right at the station.

Hotel Fujihara
Tel: 0576 25 2620



From Nagoya Station or Gifu take the JR Takayama Honsen Line Wide View Hida express (tokkyu; 3990 yen; 1 hour 28 minutes) north to Gero or travel south on the same line from Takayama and Toyama (2 hours 16 minutes). By road, drive via Nakatsugawa on the Chuo Expressway and then turn off the highway on route 257.

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Hotel De Marronnier Gozaisho

御在所

Mount Gozaisho (1212m) in Mie Prefecture is a perfect place to combine autumn leaf-viewing with a hot soak in an onsen.



At the base of Mount Gozaisho is the hot spring resort of Yunoyama with a number of Japanese-style inns or ryokan, where you can spend the night or just pop in during the day to take a bath.



The Hotel du Marrionier (Tel: 059 392 3210), a short walk from the cable car station, is a large onsen hotel with day entry to the baths for 1000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children. Free towels are provided. There is a lovely rotemburo (outdoor bath) with views of the cable cars going up and down the mountainside.





Here are a list of some other onsen options:

Kuranosuke (059 392 2509) 800 yen for adults; 400 yen for children

Hotel Yunoki (059 392 2141) 800 yen for adults; 400 yen for children

Shikanoyu (059 392 2141) 1000 yen for adults; 3-500 yen for children

Irodorikoyo (059 392 3135) 525 yen for adults

Bath charges range from around 500 yen to 1,000 yen for entry to the baths at the various hotels in Yunoyama Onsen, many of which have rotemburo or outdoor pools.



Access

Yunoyama Onsen can be reached in just over an hour from Nagoya Station by Kintetsu Railway (830 yen). Change at Yokkaichi and take the Yunoyama Line to Yunoyama Station. From there, there is an infrequent bus up to the spa (260 yen), taxi (over 1000 yen) or a 30 minute walk uphill.
Alternatively, there are direct Mie Kotsu buses from Nagoya Station (1280 yen) to the resort. Buses leave Nagoya at 7.52am (Weekends), 8.28am, 9.12am & 10.34am. The last bus back to Nagoya is 5.15pm. Other bus times back from Yunoyama are 2.15pm, 3.15pm and 4.15pm.
Gozaisho.co.jp
Tel: 059 392 2261
The ropeway costs 1200 yen one-way or 2100 yen return.

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