Jigokudani or Hell’s Valley, is named after the
many hot springs and boiling water that oozes
and steams out of the crevices in the ground.
The main attraction is the snow monkeys
(Japanese Macaques) who, during the winter
months, come down from the mountains where
they have been foraging for food, and immerse
themselves in the hot springs inside the park.
You can see monkeys of all ages and sizes
enjoying the hot steaming waters; sitting,
playing, and seemingly meditating while
tolerating the click of cameras from the tourists.
All this takes place under the watchful eye of a
park warden. Fortunately during out stay, there
were only about 10 other tourists and after the
mandatory close-up shots of peaceful monkey
faces, most of the visitors put down the
cameras and just shared in the tranquility,