A unique, extraordinary experience is to visit the Jigokudani Monkey Park, located in the northern part of Nagano prefecture, where about 200 Japanese macaques live in the wild, bathing in a natural hot spring to keep warm on cold winter days.
The Snow Monkey Park has been welcoming visitors since 1964. The habit of bathing in the hot spring came about after a curious young macaque dipped his toe in the warm water, and then immersed his whole body, and other monkeys soon followed suit. In 1970 a Japanese macaque was on the front cover of America's Life magazine, becoming famous all over the world.
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