June in Japan is known as the rainy season and as such, is always a little wet, wild, and unpredictable. The days are steadily getting warmer and humid, punctuated by downpours as the springtime clouds build-up and eventually drench the landscape.
The monkeys of Jigokudani seem to relish this season. The park is again lush with vegetation with abundant food now available in the forest. Bright sunshine encourages the monkeys to be more active than in the cold of winter or coming heat of summer, with younger monkeys in particular often opting to splash, play, and swim in the hot spring.
The older monkeys have of course seen it all before and take another spring in their stride, relaxing, grooming, and sitting in the shade.
With the significantly lower (human) visitor numbers in spring, staff park haven recently taken the opportunity to do some general maintenance but this doesn’t seem to bother the monkeys. Habituated to people over generations, the monkeys go on with their daily business and continue to entertain those who make the journey to the park with their antics and unique character.
There’s never a bad time to visit the park! Operating all year round, Snow Monkey Resorts is Nagano’s No.1 tour provider! Recently awarded a Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award as one of Japan’s Top 10 Experiences in 2019, our 1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake Tour combines a visit to the Snow Monkey Park with exploration of Zenko-ji – one of Japan’s oldest and most important temples – sake tasting and lunch in Nagano City.
We are thrilled by the award and look forward to welcoming many more guests to the Snow Monkey Park and Nagano in the coming months!
