I didn’t bother with this, but almost fell over multiple times, and probably shouldn’t have risked it. Me and my wife were wondering to go in late march early april, next year.Gosh I am so glad I found this!Appreciate the report! They were completely free to do their own thing there and apart from the lack of snow (it was on the mountains, but in the valley there was just rain, lots of rain!) For anyone interested, that footage was shot along Route 306 at the base of the Japan Alps in Omachi.That all said, it is undeniable that monkeys are cute, monkeys you can see close up are special, and monkeys relaxing in a hot spring are an endearing and unforgettable sight. Many people visit just to see whole families of monkeys bathing there, especially during the cold months of winter. I felt they were content and totally enjoyed their spa experience. I was sliding all over the place in my gripless shoes, and thought about how I’d really regret my second visit if I died here. There’s definitely some off-the-beaten track hikes and stuff that are rarely visited and beautiful, but I know I only discovered them because of my boyfriend’s family, so it’s not easily accessible to visitors. Fortunately, Japan is not like America where the monkeys would probably have been hunted to death.Overall, the balance is quite good in this national park as the monkeys are free to come and go, and if people take the time to go beyond their selfie photos, you’ll see complex, healthy social structures within this macaque community, if you sit back and observe them quietly.

If there’s no snow, the Snow Monkey Park features a handful of unhappy monkeys running around in some mud. The monkeys seemed unhappy, agitated, and stressed. It’s so important to consider the animal welfare aspects of these attractions and by explaining things so clearly I believe that you’ll help people make informed decisions. I’m sure you do hundreds of worse things in life than paying to see a dozen monkeys be forced down a mountain. For months on end, he’d place apples in a nearby valley beside a hot spring, until eventually, the monkeys learned to stick around and avoid the farmland they’d been tearing apart.And as for the whole bathing in an onsen thing? I have only been to Nara and I felt like the deers were treated fine and with a lot of respect.But afterward I also read articles from people such as yourself complaining about the animal cruelty in Nara.Makes me wonder if it is truely that bad…Anyhow you just ruined my interest in going to see snowmonkeys this winter. So we are definitely not going to this place after reading this. The BBC filmed some of these monkeys raiding orchards in Honshu episode of its “Japan: Earth’s Enchanted Islands”/”Wild Japan” miniseries. I wonder if you would have found the experience fun if you’d had the same experience as I did — if you’d witnessed these animals repeatedly trying to leave the springs and then being forced back down towards you.

— that are all the rage these days on social media. I, and many others, have also witnessed staff members herding the monkeys towards tourists whenever they tried to escape — just because you didn’t see it happen doesn’t mean it doesn’t take place.

I would feel like a hypocrite to insist that nobody should support this park when I take dozens of flights each year, when I buy from companies like Amazon, when I buy clothes from fast fashion brands, when I stay in Airbnb apartments, when I eat a Paleo diet, when I own an iPhone, when I use products containing palm oil — all things that are arguably far worse than what’s happening with the snow monkeys. Paradise of the Monkeys (Jigokudani Yaen-koen) This wild monkey park is located in Jigokudani valley in northern Nagano prefecture. On Never Ending Footsteps, I show you how you can explore this planet safely, adventurously, and affordably.

You’re seeing them in the wild. Because when you’re on a safari in Africa, the animals aren’t being forced towards your car, like they are here. The monkeys are not aggressive – you know the old saying – “When you pay peanuts you get monkeys – when you pay more peanuts, you get greedy monkeys”.I’d totally recommend people to go here and also explore the amazing town of Yudanaka – it’s like a wintery Japanese anime movie landscape.Thanks for sharing your experience! Most alarmingly, there were a number of monkeys who looked emotionally disturbed, rocking back and forth. The troops of wild Japanese macaque (they are popularly known as snow monkeys) inhabit here naturally through the ages.

I’d wanted to go since first learning about their home in 2011, and now that I had finally made it to Japan, was prepared to go all out in order to see them for myself.Waking early, we jumped on our first train of the day, from our accommodation to the main station in Hakone.

I work as a veterinary assistant and love traveling to see different species of animals, but I have to be so careful not to give my money to businesses that do not treat the animals with respect!Gosh, I feel like one of my dreams has been a bit crushed by this post.