Hello again

So we are now in Yudanaka, which is famous for 4 things, skiing, hot springs, the 1998 Winter olympic games and the snow monkeys.

The reason we visited was to see the snow monkeys!

We arrived late on the train then got completely lost walking in the dark to our ryokan, until a Japanese guy asked us if we needed help (he also sat near us on the train!) anyway turned out we where only 2 doors away.

On arrival we had to remove our shoes (Which is really starting to annoy Herman every time we go in somewhere) but the owner was so lovely took us over half an hour to check in as he was giving us all the places we needed to visit in our 2 days. Which finished with him booking us breakfast the next day at 8am and him taking us to the monkey park at 9.20!

When we got to the room which was a proper Japanese style with a futon in the middle of the room and a low table with 2 chairs next too it and on a lower level another table and chairs alongside the window with a fantastic view.

They had left us a big flask on boiling water so we sat down and had a cup of coffee (we carry our own nescafe we can't survive without it!) Herman decided he was starving even though we had dinner only a few hours ago, so off he went - even up here in the middle of nowhere there are 24 hour places.

So up early for our breakfast of unlimited coffee and orange juice, scrambled egg and toast, yogurt and a banana. then back for a shower in the strangest little bath ever.

Then we are taken up to Yudanaka Monkey park, he dropped us off a mile away from the actual entrance but it is lovely walk through a forest on a beautiful day, it is starting to warm up in the north of Japan so I don't know how I'm going to manage in the really hot places! (So obviously there is no snow but they are still monkeys!)

I'll set the scene for you so you can imagine you are there too..... walking through a pathway with a steep drop to our left at the bottom is the river with mountains on either side and lots of very tall trees with a few pink blossom trees in bloom around, there is a few signs that point out what to look for Japanese pygmy woodpecker, Japanese serow and other little birds. By this point I had started to worry that maybe I would not see any monkeys and I should not get my hopes up, when straight in front of me lots of branches started to fall when I look up there is a great big fat monkey just looking down at us munching away.

So this is the point where the river starts to get bigger, on one side there is a little tea house (later we found out it is also a hotel with an onsen and yes we did see 2 naked men chilling out) you can either go straight up into the park which you pay or you can stay at this lower stage which is where the hot spring escapes.

After taking in the scene at the bottom we made our way up the hill and there are the usual signs do not feed, touch or scare the animals, but the best one says the monkeys do not like or hate humans they just accept we are there!

The park is not huge but apparently it houses around 250 monkeys, during the day they come to the water (and get fed!) and then at night they go back to the hills to sleep in a different place every night. They travel together normally arriving at 9.30 and leave at 16.30 but sometimes they will leave much earlier. There is a viewcam www.jigokudani-yaenkoen.co.,jp don't think it is live though.

We where lucky as it was not that busy, so we have entered the park after paying our £5.00 and there are monkeys everywhere, on the roof of the building on the pathways and the steps, bit cautious at first will it grab my leg and bite me (good job I had those expensive rabies shots!) or will they ignore me like the board says??? I'm safe it didn't even look at me he was far too busy picking the flees/lice of the other one!

They are so playful it is lovely to watch, but the fun quickly changes to fighting and often you see and hear them turn on each other.

So still on our left is the river we can see a bridge on the other side that is where the hot spring is, we walk on stopping every 5 seconds to ahh at another monkey!

A Japanese couple stopped us to ask us where we are from and how long we are visiting for they tell us they hope we have a wonderful stay. Which is very nice, people are so very friendly here always asking if they can help or take a photo for us (not with us like Beijing) at last we reach the hot water spring, there is just one red faced little monkey in there, you can see the steam coming off the water, after sitting watching him for a while another couple join him, they sit in a row one picking the flees of the other - very funny to watch they all seem to know when to turn around.

There is a guy that keeps an eye on the visitors, I guess he also feeds them to keep the monkeys coming back to there now disturbed home. The whole time we where there there was a fat old looking monkey just sitting looking at him really close.

The same monkey was later scared by a fight behind him (by what looked like the boss monkey) and he wet himself - it was really sad he looked like he needed a cuddle!

So after a couple of hours we went back to the beginning and had a coffee (where there was a old golden retriever with hello kitty clips in his hair, every dog is either dressed or is wearing bows here - so Daisy should think herself lucky she only has a xmas jumper!) this is also where we saw a close up of the naked guys in the onsen and they where not shy, leg on the side doing a catalogue pose!!

Then I'm sure to Herman's boredom I made him go back up for another hour! We took nearly 400 pictures I was snap happy!

We slowly walked back down to our little ryokan which was further than we thought, we sat and finished our lunch at a little temple when it started to rain a little only for 5 minutes.

After a little walk around the little village we got some dinner and got ready to leave the next morning we are heading for or the day in Nagano.

Christina and Herman