Jigokudani Monkey Park

We travelled inland from Tokyo, past Nagano to Yudanaka, a hotsprings resort town. We stayed at Uotoshi Ryokan, which is getting a little saggy, but the English-speaking owner is truly hospitable, as noted in the Lonely Planet guide. On the downside, it smelled of dog, and was festooned with mouldy jack-o-lanterns when we arrived at the beginning of Novermber. On the upside, it's the cheapest place in town, had the best traditional meals with homemade sweet ume pickles, as well as a glorious, super-hot natural spring bath, and comfy little quilted jackets to wear over our yukata. The owner drove us up to Jigokudani Yaen-koen, a mountain park filled with Japanese Macaque (snow monkeys).The name of the park translates as "Hell's Valley" because of the many hot springs and geysers sending steam rising from the valley floor. There is an old onsen hotel just across the river from the park. The monkeys sometimes visit and take a dip in the outdoor baths, but they have their own hot springs in the park, where staff scatter grain for them to munch on while they swim.
The monkeys will let you get very close. They actually ignore you for the most part, as if humans were not worth paying attention to. But be careful that you don't startle them from behind. Matt had one challenge him to a fight.
They are tough little guys, and scrap amoungst themselves constantly.

They also smel terrible.
And they have no modesty, showing off their bright red bums and scrotums shamelessly.