Jigokudani Yaen Koen (Monkey Park)

Please be considerate of others if you decide to bring your Ipad as your photo device of choice.

The monkeys roam freely in the park, as it is their park. Always remember that and look around so that you don't step on one by mistake.

The monkeys eat some type of grain or wheat seeds for lunch and sometimes the remains of that often gets stuck in their hair.

While being playful and cute is how we view them, please remember that they are wild animals and shouldn't be touched or approached too closely.

The monkeys interact with each other in various ways including grooming, hugging, fighting or pushing each other in the onsen water.

Although having smaller faces covered in fur, their facial expressions are very easily recognizable.

Once wet, the monkeys will rush out of the onsen and away from the onlooker's gazes. They become quite shy when they are wet and their hair sticks to their body.

Some monkeys are not as shy as others and will hang out on the rocks even when fully wet.

The monkeys will walk over each other or in this case climb instead of walking around each other as humans would normally do.

This view can be seen quite often in the afternoon, once they are fed their lunch and tend to stick with their families and relax. They are not as active as in the morning time.

You will see many families stay together in the afternoon light, which usually includes the mother, father and one or two children.