Date taken: Thursday, December 28 2023, @ijull panjull
Jigokudani Monkey Park is located in Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan at 36°43′58″N 138°27′46″E. This park is part of the Joshinetsu Kogen National Park or also known as Shigakogen. This place is located in the Yokoyu river valley in the north of Nagano prefecture.
The name Jigokudani itself means "Hell Valley", because of the large amount of steam and hot air boiling from the cracks in the frozen ground, coupled with the steepness of the valley, the cold air, and the danger of the forest.
With the heavy snow that protects this valley for 4 months a year at an altitude of 850 meters, practically this valley can only be accessed by climbing about 2 kilometers through the forest. The combination of location and quite challenging route means that the journey to this place is not very busy even though it is famous among travelers.
This place is famous for the large number of Japanese Monkeys (Macaca fuscata), also known as Snow Monkeys, which go to this valley during the winter, and look for food elsewhere in the warmer months. In the warm seasons these monkeys usually eat plants, fruit and insects. These monkeys do not eat meat and fish. When winter arrives, when all the plants die, these monkeys eat twigs or tree bark around them to survive.[1] Since 1963, monkeys have descended into the valley to seek warmth during the winter in the onsen (hot springs) located at the bottom of the valley, and return to the forest when night falls. (wikipedia)
14 янв 2024
