Jigokudani is a valley surrounded
by steep rock walls where steam can be seen rising from natural hot springs. Jigokudani
Monkey Park, is famous due to massive population of wild Japanese snow monkeys,
using natural spa exclusively by themselves. These are also referred to
Japanese macaques “Macaca fuscata”, in Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano
Prefecture, part of the Joshinetsu Kogen National Park, located in the valley
of the Yokoyu-River, in the northern part of the prefecture. The name
Jigokudani, meaning (Hell's Valley), famous for steam and boiling water that
bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground, surrounded by steep cliffs
and terribly cold and intimidating forests. The heavy snowfalls, covers the
area for 4months in a year, an elevation of 850 meters. The main onsen bath was
constructed specifically for use by the monkeys.
The Jigokudani Monkey Park is
only accessible through a 2KM footpath via forest, mostly uncrowded in spite of
being relatively well-known. The monkeys descend from the steep cliffs and forest
to sit in the warm waters of hot springs, and return to the security of the
forests in the evenings. Though, monkeys are fed by park attendants, they are
in the area of the hot springs all the year round, and a visit at any season
will enable the tourist to observe hundreds of the macaques. This region
receives heavy snowfall usually white from Dec-Mar, with January and February is
the best time to visit the monkey park.
During the colder season, when
food is very limited available, monkeys congregate in and around the pools for
warmth and the daily supply of barley and soybeans. Further, sometimes monkeys
are sighted even in the summer as they take occasional baths because they are enticed
by food thrown into the pool by park wardens. Moreover, the macaques are medium
sized monkeys, have stocky body with both a head and body length of
approximately 500mm high. The tail length is less than a quarter of the head
and body length, have grayish or brownish fur color, well-developed cheek
paunches, ischial callosities and red faces. The biggest male was about 600mm,
the biggest female was about 450mm, and infants were about 300mm.
In 1963, a young female monkey clambered
into a hot spring to collect soybeans that were floating on the surface of the
water. This unusual behavior was followed by others in the troop, and soon it
became common for the monkeys to retreat to the hot pools when the harsh winter
arrived. Naturally the tourists followed soon after. The wild monkeys keep
their own schedules, as there are no fences or cages, and they do whatever they
like. That’s the beauty of this whole park, and something that sets it apart
from many of Japan’s other animal experiences.
Hence, a visit to the Nagano area would not be
complete without seeing the Japan Snow Monkeys. Notwithstanding its relatively
remote location, approximately 100,000 visitors trek through the woods of
Nagano each year to see wild snow monkeys. Overnight visitors usually base
themselves in nearby Kanbayashi Onsen, Shibu Onsen or Yudanaka Onsen. It’s
definitely the most scenic, with snow-capped trees backgrounding groups of
bathing Japanese macaques. Visitors can observe their natural lifestyle and
numerous photos are on display at the park management building.
No comments:
Post a Comment