After checking out on Sunday morning we headed out in search of the snow monkeys. To do so we purchased tickets for the “Monkey Bus” upon arriving the day before. From the ryokan it was a short walk to the station followed by a twenty minute bus-ride through a winding pass up the mountainside. It was a bit scary at points, but the driver managed to make it look easy as he kept plowing forward over the ice.

Once we arrived at the park entrance we set out on foot in search of the not so elusive monkeys (you’ll note that in all of our previous travels the promises of Monkeys had always been left unfulfilled). Within five minutes a few of the braver members of the troop made their way past us in search of a drink from the river.

As the signs at the lodge would tell us later, the monkeys don’t consider humans a threat and therefore make little attempt to engage us. Aside from this, the one other thing we picked up on was the smell. Anyone who has ventured near a natural hotspring knows the smell.

Sulfur stinks…like one endless fart or perhaps a cuddle with a wet dog.

Sorry, but I see no point in mincing words. It’s kind of funny to picture yourself in such majestic surroundings (snow topped mountains & beautiful trees soaring towards the sky) while trying to remember to breathe through your mouth the entire time. But I digress…

After another ten minutes walk we arrived at a rather humble lodge,  handed our tickets in and within minutes entered another world.

Understand, this isn’t the zoo. There are no walls or fences, the ground is theirs and you are an observer. But what you see is nothing short of amazing. Carved into the side of a mountain is a small paradise for roughly 200 monkeys with the focal point being the onsen.

At times it can get a little chaotic, yet with the exception of one or two scuffles, everyone behaved. Better than some groups of people I’ve been a part of to be honest as most of the little guys played up for the cameras

To be honest, I think M took some of her best photos yet.

Overall we spent a little over two hours watching an average Sunday morning for the monkeys become an extraordinary one for us. The more time you spend with the monkeys, the greater kinship you feel to them. In their eyes you begin to see the characteristics we as humans display each and every day…

Pondering

Boredom

Mischief

Resignation

An OCD approach to grooming

What initially seemed like another goofy boondoggle M cooked up, turned out to be a window into the lives of some curious little creatures…

Go figure that the most awkward part of the weekend was having to share a bath with an old Japanese man. Though one of the Monkeys did get a little curious at one point…