Winter-trip Part IV: Snow, onsens & monkeys

The second day of our winter trip we left Nagano early in the morning by bus (a nice change from all those trains the day before), and we headed to Yamanouchi area.

The Yamanouchi area lies north-east of Nagano, and features many tourist attractions and outdoor activities. The area is famous for its onsen, so we were looking forward to relaxing in the warm water.

But first, we were going to make a beautiful walk through the snowy mountains. We headed to the Jigokudani Monkey park (famous for monkeys bathing in the outdoor onsen), and the route to get there leads through a winter wonderland in the mountains.

Entrance to the walk to the park

Along the way

View close to the monkey park

The monkey park was very fun. Everywhere there were monkeys playing in the snow, and they all gathered at the big outdoor bath. Probably to escape the cold and get warm again. There were many young baby monkeys, and all around us people were saying how kawaii (cute) the monkeys were. Especially around the onsen is was very crowded with tourists taking pictures of this picturesque scenery with the bathing monkeys surrounded by snow.

Bathing monkeys

Baby monkey taking a bath

Monkeys bathing in the onsen

 After we warmed up with some hot chocolate we walked back the the town centre, to check in to our ryokan (traditional Japanese style hotel) and enjoy a nice warm onsen ourselves.

Our ryokan was very nice, we had a lovely big room and guests could freely use both the gender-seperated onsens and the private-use onsens of the hotel. Very luxurious! Since there were not many staying guest (and most stayed until late at the ski-slopes) we had lots of opportunities to use the private onsen for ourselves, very relaxing.

We stayed in the centre of Shibu Onsen, a small traditional onsen town. In the centre of the town (really only a couple of small streets) there are 9 pubic onsens scattered around. Staying guests at one of the hotels in town get a master key and can freely use all the baths. The baths all look different, have different water and supposedly heal different ailments. Is it said that taking all nine baths will bring you good fortune. We changed into our yukata in the hotel (traditional Japanese robes), in which you can walk in between the baths. Very cold in the beginning, since there was much snow around town, but after soaking in a warm hot water you don't get cold walking around town.

Light up streets in Shibu Onsen

Entrance to one of the 9 public baths

Shibu Onsen

Especially in the evening the streets become very atmospheric; beautiful light up and with various people walking in yukata in between baths.

We, after a relaxing onsen

That afternoon/evening and following morning combined, we tried all the nine baths! So at the end of the morning we could very relaxed walk back to the station, and start our trip back home. It had been both very busy days, as very nice and relaxing time, but a very fun en enjoying trip!