When we got to the ryokan we chatted with a family from Houston. They recommended that we sign up for the 9am shuttle up to the monkey park because it gets really crowded as the day goes on.
Because we’re a group of 7, they had to take us up in 2 smaller groups. The drive was only about 10 minutes where we went along the mountains.
It took about 15 minutes to hike up to the actual area where the monkeys congregate. At the entrance, people could rent winter gear and snow boots which we didn’t need since we were born in the snow…molded by it. I think it was helpful to some people though. There was a couple that was staying in our ryokan from Colombia. They said it was their first time seeing snow.
It was still early in the morning so we could take our time and take pictures in the woods. The fresh snow from the night before looked so nice in the trees. This is my first time doing snow photography, the pictures might be a little inconsistent with my color corrections.
After a 20ish minute walk, we spotted our first monkey. There was a river that went through the mountain and then a hot springs pool where most of them were hanging out in. It was really cool seeing the monkeys so close up. The baby ones were playing with each other and jumping in and out of the hot springs.
At around 10:15, the park started getting crowded and more difficult to take pictures without people in the way.
This area of Nagano prides itself in its local Shinshu apples. They taste similar to a honeycrisp apple, a little bit more floral and sweet. Alex and Stephanie bought one from the souvenir shop and went ahead while we kept shopping for monkey things. A few minutes later I got a text from Alex:
[11:43 AM, 1/6/2017] Alex Kratz: Eat your apples up there, Stephanie’s Apple just got stolen by a monkey
[11:44 AM, 1/6/2017] Alex Kratz: There are some at the car park and it jumped up and snatched the bag
We came down and found a monkey holding a box of Kit Kat bars. Originally I thought the monkey who stole Stephanie’s apple also stole her Kit Kats from the gift shop but she said she didn’t buy any, which means that a monkey stole from another unsuspecting tourist. Monkeys look cute but they’re jerks no matter what country you’re in.
Our driver recommended that we take the bus back down but the wait was close to an hour so we decided to walk back to the ryokan. We were getting a little cold and chose to grab lunch at this soba noodle house. This turned out to be a great decision because the food there was so delicious. My soup broth was very flavorful and it came with the mushrooms that this region of Japan is known for.
I’m really glad that we decided to walk back to the ryokan because the sun came out and we could see the entire Shibu Onsen town. What a great view this was.
I could really get used to living with hot springs near me. Most of the people use them in their regular bathing routine every day. After a long nap we had dinner and got into our yukatas to go back to the onsen before bedtime.
