A variety of monkeys indigenous to Japan onlyHumans and monkeys : striving for harmonious coexistence1the Snow Monkey Park, has been a safe haven to a troop of wild Japanese macaques since 1964. At the Park, you get the rare opportunity to observe the wild monkeys in their natural habitat and from close distance.There are about 180 species of monkeys around the world, including the gorilla, chimpanzee, orangutan, baboon, squirrel monkey, and more. Most of these inhabit Africa and South East Asia, from the tropics to the subtropics. Unlike those species, the Japanese macaque is known as the world's northernmost non-human wild primate. Their habitat stretches across Japan, covering mainly broad-leaved forest areas, except Hokkaido and the Ryukyu Archipelago (Okinawa). They are the only monkeys living under cold weather extremes including up to ten degrees below zero, such that they are known in countries other than Japan as “snow monkeys.” The Japanese macaque is a species indigenous to Japan. We also have the Yaku-zaru, a subspecies of the Japanese macaque that inhabits only Yakushima Island (Kagoshima Prefecture). The Taiwan monkey, which inhabits Taiwan and Southeast Asia, as well as the rhesus monkey and crab-eating monkey are closely related to the Japanese macaque.The Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park got its name (which means “valley of hell”) from the surrounding surreal landscape, which is dotted with streams of the Yokoyukawa River that flow from the Shiga Plateau on the Joshinetsu-kogen National Park, shockingly steep cliffs, and ever-flowing hot springs spewing steam.Ever since it opened in 1964, the Wild Monkey Park has been a favorite destination for people from around the world, including researchers and photographers, as a place where the Japanese macaque can be observed in its habitat at close range. The monkeys exist in a near-natural environment, they are controlled by feeding instead of by fences. Wild Japanese macaques and humans coexist here in the junction of their separate spheres of activity. Though the monkeys are wild, they can be observed so close that visitors can practically reach out and touch them. Regardless of the fact that they show no interest in visitors, they do not run away either, making for an interesting sense of distance yet closeness. At Jigokudani, everyone can witness this spectacular display of wildlife. Kanbayashi Onsen - The Gateway Village to Snow Monkey ParkJigokudani Yaen Koen, also known as Overview of the Snow MonkeySnow Monkey Park
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