Japan’s Snow Monkeys’ Onsen Practice Reduces Stress

A CNN report last month said, "the Japanese macaques in Jigokudani Monkey Park start most days" with a soothing dip in their own private hot tub.

Situated in Joshinetsu Kogen National Park in Japan's Nagano prefecture, this onsen, only for primates, is globally famous as the constantly favored simian hot spring.

Nevertheless, the news site said, life has not always been very simple for the snow monkeys of Jigokudani or "The Valley of Hell," labeled for its natural hot springs.

The said mammals were originally forced from their home in the 1950s by the construction of ski resorts nearby. Consequently, the snow monkeys relocated into towns and swiftly found trouble, as they raided fruit from orchards of local farmers.

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(Photo : Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)
Japanese Macaque monkeys relax in the hot spring at the Jigokudani (Hell's Valley) Monkey Park on January 30, 2010 in Yamanouchi, Japan. This Macaque troop regularly visits the Jigokudani-Onsen springs to escape the cold.

Appreciating the 'Onsen'

The onsen practice of the snow monkeys is not exclusively about warming their bodies or bobbling for apples from tourists or visitors. It appears that they appreciate onsen for its properties that reduce stress.

Since the thick coats of the macaque keep the snow monkeys warm, and they are taking a dip even when no apples are available insight, into the studying of monkeys of researchers at Jigokudani believe hot springs work mainly to alleviate their stress.

Staff at the park encourage the macaques to keep their onsen in their everyday routine, providing a regular diet comprising soybeans, barley, and apples.

Scientists discovered, too, the indifference of monkeys to the almost 500-a-day park visitors. This means that the said animals' stress hormones did not increase as the number of visitors at the park rose.

Different from some other open animal encounters of Japan, like the Nara Deer Park, touching or feeding monkeys is strictly forbidden. However, this rule is not undermining the joy of being seated by the poolside as the macaque plays leapfrog.

Japanese Wild Macaques

Smithsonian Magazine described the Japanese wild macaques, also known as snow monkeys, as "among several groups of Japanese macaques that have changed the way" humans see animals and themselves.

In the said piece, Ben Crair said, snow monkeys have "helped us to recognize the true complexity of animal behavior."

More so, in doing so, such a recognition offered understanding into the evolutionary origins of humans. In his article, Crair wrote he planned to visit various monkey troops within Japan and began with the "Snow Monkey Town" because, he said, the place's monkeys "were the cutest.

Since monkeys, in general, don't swim every day despite their warm fur coats, these animals appear to opt for the hot springs, as seen in ArtifactProduction's YouTube video, during colder days, visitors would surely not want to plan accordingly before they head north the park.

A flexible travel plan is ideal, and the first two months of the year are the best times to choose. Furthermore, fresh snow is perfect - the monkeys are at home and probably, in their most playful mood in the snowy climate.

There are many good locations where visitors can watch snow monkeys as they're playing, sleeping, and interacting with their families while they're in their natural environment.

Essentially, these monkeys are fed by the park employees in specific sites, and they are accustomed to being around humans.

Furthermore, the Japanese wild macaques are highly shielded, and each park is implementing strict rules for the public "not interacting with these wild animals."

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