Japan

More monkeys (in the snow this time)

B Byrd

— 3 min read
More monkeys (in the snow this time)

The main reason we stayed in Shibu Onsen (other than to get closer to our final destination), was because A reeeaaallly wanted to see SNOW MONKEYS. These are actually the same Japanese macaques we saw earlier in the trip – but these ones live in snowy mountain areas and swim in their own onsen.

The onsen was built especially for the monkeys after the the area was developed with onsens (for humans) that the monkeys took a liking to. So they got their own to keep them away from ours!

So, on Wednesday, before heading off to our final stop in the snow, we went off to see the monkeys.

The trail up was mostly snow covered, and quite slippery in places (especially on the main road before the start of the trail itself). Quite a few visitors had crampons (spiked attachments for walking on ice) for their shoes/boots (you could buy some stretch-on ones nearby for about $13), but we managed to do without.
First monkey sighting.
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Shibu no Jigaokudani geyser. This geyser emits a continuous plume of 90°C water, up to 20m high (the water was probably only shooting about 3m high while we were there).

Hot water seeping through a wall - rich in sodium, sulfur and calcium sulfate.
Funky ice formations from the spray from the geyser.
Funky tiny ice formations from the same.
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The geyser from above.

Monkeys!
Swimming in the monkey onsen.
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There were also some tourists around!
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