Were they already bathing? - Yes one was there the whole time.
Best winter holiday ever.
And all around you are monkeys.
Hey guys, girls and snow monkeys, today we have come to Nagano.
Today we've come to see some real Japanese, you've got it, snow monkeys. Let's go.
Chikokudami Snow Monkey Park is located in Nagano prefecture.
From Tokyo station, it's only about an hour and a half to Nagano station, and from there a
local a train gets you near the park. Here are some tips for visiting the snow monkeys.
I've totally brought the wrong shoes for this type of occasion so I need to
go and get changed into some proper shoes so I can hike up the mountain to meet the monkeys.
I'm not the only one who came here with the wrong kind of footing
and there is actually here a little location where you can rent boots,
little spikes, or coats or anything else you might need because
you can underestimate this. So I actually got boots but I actually also topped it off with spikes
because I saw a couple of people slip and fall.
Now I'm good. Let's go up and see they monkeys.
Right now we are at the boots rental place and guess what – there's a fellow German next to me. Hey!
- Hello. - And he watches Ask Japanese so this is a great chance to ask you
why did you decided to work here in the middle of the mountain surrounded by monkeys?
Well, first I've been to Tokyo for two months and
there I learned a little bit of Japanese but the city was
too big for me. Too many people. I feel like
Tokyo everything was so hectic and fast
and people don't have time to talk with you and everything.
But here everyone is so nice and directly came to me
and said hi, where are you from and
when I speak a little Japanese, they say wow and so
I'm good at Japanese, even if I just say arigatou gozaimasu
so I like the people.
And then there's a German here handling the boots.
And so we started talking German with each other. It felt so great. Thank you so much.
From the main entrance of the park to the area where the snow monkeys bathe
it's about 1.6 km. In winter, it's pretty cold with temperatures going
down to minus 10 degrees, but to be honest, I barely felt that
because the walk was sweetened by the natural scenery and the glistening snow.
Now tyou might have the image of monkeys living in warm and tropical climates
but actually, Japanese snow monkeys are the monkeys that can survive
in the coldest of seasons, and like the name suggests, right in the middle of the snow.
This is a wildlife protective zone so you are
not allowed to feed the animals or to even bring any plastic bags.
I just found a couple that has already seen the monkeys. How was it?
They made me feel so relaxed! - Relaxed! Were they actually bathing?
They sat really comfortably in the hot spring, the whole time enjoying it.
What was so relaxing about it?
They would carry their babies while bathing.
They are really relaxed. Even though they're monkeys they look like old men.
That was cute. - Is this your first time here?
Our first time. - Seeing them, was did you think? Do they all look like people?
Yes, I thought that. - They all have different facial expressions.
I was surprised to see that they have such different facial features up close.
Is there anything you want to warn people about?
It's slippery. - Did you slip?
Yeah be careful about your steps. There is lots of mud too.
There is also snow and ice. Super slippery.
Please be careful.
Thank you. - Thank you too.
Okay, the last part is actually
you have to go up some very steep stairs.
It's getting colder and colder by the minute, but I'm very excited to see the monkeys.
Guys, where are you from? - I'm from Australia. - England.
And you've already seen the monkeys. How was it? - It was fantastic. They were so cute. - Yeah, kawaii.
So why did you actually come here? - Just because we wanted to see the monkeys, that's it.
Yeah, so that's the only reason you came to the whole prefecture was for the monkeys? - Yeah.
- And she wanted to see snow. - Oh, and I'd never seen snow before. - Never?
- This was my first time. - Was this your first time seeing snow monkeys and snow?
- No, not my first time seeing monkeys, but my first time seeing monkeys in snow.
Okay, what do you think is something you and a monkey would have in common?
- I enjoy onsens.
Hot springs. Thank you so much!
So the entrance to the snow monkey park is 800 yen for adults and 400 yen for children.
You're not allowed to show food to the monkeys. You're not allowed to touch them. And you have to maintain a safe distance from them.
If you have any of the prohibited items, you can actually store them in a locker before you go.
Let's go!
There are everywhere!
Around us! Sitting in the hot springs and playing around!
They are so cute and they seem to be really relaxed in the hot spring
The babies are so adorable.
This is just like a I imagined it from documentary films.
It's like wildlife right in front of us, and they're really used to humans already so
they don't get startled or anything. They're really calm and relaxed actually
It's cold today isn't it.
How is it to see the snow monkeys up close? - They are so cute!
They are. Do you think they look like humans?
Some things are very similar. - Like what?
Their faces express how much they're enjoying the bath.
That's true. I might be doing the same face like that.
What was the cutest part about them?
I just arrived, I haven't seen anything about from the hot springs yet.
I will look at more things now.
You wish you could sit in the onsen with them. - Totally!
I wanna sit next to them in the bath and relax.
Wanna sit in there and relax together. - Yes nice idea!
Thank you. - Thank you.
Near the monkey's hot spring is also a special guest house
called "Kourakukan"
what many don't know is that you can actually
share a bath with the snow monkeys there.
That's so hot. It's so hot!
It feels really good. My feet were so cold.
I'm in an onsen, and right next to me, there are snow monkeys.
Only in Japan guys, only in Japan.
This is a secret insider tip, many people don't know that you can use this onsen right here.
So don't forget, use your chance and go into the hot springs together with the snow monkeys.
You have to be a little bit brave to do this because usually you have to be more naked than this
and men and women are allowed to use this bath at the same time.
The hot steam from over there is actually from the hot spring coming out from under the earth.
Hello my friend.
You can tell that this is a real, natural onsen.
This has just come out from the earth; you can smell the
hot spring smell of sulfur in the air as well.
All around you are monkeys.
That was a truly unique experience and I'm so glad I did this.
Who else can say that they've not only seen the monkey but they've also
been in a little bath with the monkeys. I feel special now.
Also, all the people were crowding around the other areas trying to take pictures while here
they were right next to me, having a chat with me. It was great. I'm so happy I did this.
Also, I'm sitting down relaxing a little bit with traditional Japanese foods.
The onsen was originally for humans but the monkeys started to enjoy it too.
When you share the bath with the monkeys, you still have to be careful though since they are wild creatures.
But it's definitely an unforgettable experience.
I will never forget this moment, but there's more to come. Let's go to the next place!
In our next video, we will have an exclusive look into kura
a guesthouse that has been opened in a renovated in an old, Japanese woodhouse.
We'll talk with the young Japanese staff and the foreign visitors about backpacking in Japan.
What's good and bad about it?
We'll also tell you what foods you need to try in Nagano and lots more!
So don't forget to subscribe and stay tuned for another Nagano travel video with Ask Japanese.