Snow Monkeys Nozawa Onsen
We were expecting to wake up to light snow this morning but the sun us still winning at this stage. Have a feeling the snow will kick in soon though and will get heavier throughout the day.
One of the most special sites to see in Nagano, our prefecture, are the snow monkeys.
Just over the hill in Yudanaka National Park, you can find the furry creatures relaxing, playing and bathing in the warm natural spring waters. There’s also an Onsen you can relax in yourself and the monkeys may come and join you!
The Jigokudani Monkey Park (Jigokudani Yaen Koen, 地獄谷野猿公苑) was created in 1964, as a conservation area to protect the Japanese macaques who live there.
The curious monkeys watched humans using the hot spring of a nearby guesthouse and before long, they started copying the behaviour.
We offer a tour, departing at 1.10 each day so long as there is a minimum of two people. You can book here: https://www.nozawaholidays.com/snow-monkeys-tour/
The best time to view the monkeys is after it has snowed so next week could be a great time to book with a Siberian snowstorm on its way.
In other news, pop down to Kongo tonight for a 6pm where you can watch world class musicians and a professional Kyogen dancer perform. After the event, you can then grab a tasty meal from one of the Kongo stalls – from spicy ramen to thai chicken salad paired with a 1 litre Boss beer. There’s fluffy hotcakes for dessert.
TODAY:
Temperature at the top; -3 degrees on Yamabiko, 0 degrees on Uenotaira
New snow since yesterday; 0cm
Base at the top; 230cm
Snow conditions; Looks like a bit of a dusting up at Yamabiko but more on the way.
Weather; Cloudy this morning with light snow showers in the afternoon getting heavy in the evening.
LIFTS IN OPERATION:
All lifts bar Karasawa Double, Utopia Double and Challenge Pair are open.
RUNS OPEN: Same as yesterday.
SNOW FORECAST:
Temperatures are dropping again and snow is on its way – just under 20cm should fall during the day and overnight. We’ll wake up to a fresh powder day tomorrow with light snow showers continuing throughout the day and into Friday. Spring is back for a bluebird weekend with warm temperatures. We’ve got a serious cold system on the way for next week with snow from Monday to Wednesday. Thursday looking good for an epic bluebird powder day or trip to see the snow monkeys!
Check back tomorrow for the latest forecast and don’t forget to tag #nozawaonsenjapan in your pics – we love to see your adventures out in the snow!