People say they monkey around. If monkey around means frolics in an onsen hot spring, then yes, yes they do. We wanted to witness this adorableness in person and traveled to Jigokudani Yaen Kōen (aka Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park) in Japan to do so.
The snow monkeys are Japanese Macaques native to northern Japan. They are famous for their red faces and hot spring antics. Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park is home to a number of these snow monkeys. The main attraction in the park is a man-made hot spring where groups of monkeys swim, play or take a relaxing onsen.
We left bright and early this morning hoping to reach the snow monkeys as soon as the park opened. The road was very scary to travel on as there was only enough room for one car. There were several pull-offs. If you met a car on this road up the mountain one of you was going to have to back up to the pull-off spot. Yikes, what a scary drive this was.
