Jigokudani monkey hotspring - Nagano prefecture

The hotspring where monkeys can be found in winter sitting in hot water is located near Nagano city in Nagano prefecture Japan. There are about 200 monkeys in the small valley which are looked after by a group of people who maintain the park for viewing by tourists and feed the monkeys. Getting there is 40 minutes in a bus and then 40 minutes on foot through mountain country which was part of the 1998 Nagano winter olympics.

The access track goes through some forest and wildlife can be seen. There are signs encouraging people to look for various animals on the way to the monkey park.

Looking towards the monkey park above, and below looking back towards Nagano.

The small monkeys are enjoyable to watch as they play and make trouble.

A river runs past the hotspring where monkeys can be seen feeding or getting warm in winter.

Above is the site of the 1998 Nagano winter olympics snowboarding slope.