ALT in Shimosuwa, Japan: Nagano Adventure (with snow monkeys!!)

February 11th here in Japan was a national holiday, so I (and all my friends) had the day off from work. I was planning to just rest, but a week ago a friend asked me if I wanted to go on a day-trip with a few other friends to see the famous snow monkeys at Jigokudani Monkey Park, and of course I said yes!

The day began early as we started driving from Shimosuwa to Nagano at 8:30 am. We reached the monkey park at about 11 am. From there, it was a ~30 minute hike through beautiful snowy forest to reach the place where the monkeys bathe in the hot spring. It was pretty cold, but it didn't really feel colder than where I live. There were quite a few foreigners there and I heard English being spoken by many people. I also heard other languages such as Russian, German, and Korean.

We spent a while at the main valley where people can observe the monkeys up close. I even had a monkey run between me and a friend, in a space of maybe two feet! They weren't scared of humans at all. I was careful not to look them in the eye, because apparently that's a sign of dominance and it can make them aggressive. Anyway, I got a lot of good pictures, so I'm happy. :) The monkeys didn't want to go in the hot spring much, though. I think it was because the sun was shining and it was pretty warm compared to what the weather has been like recently. The monkeys looked so soft!!

After hiking back to our cars, we drove to a ramen shop to recharge. I love ramen in Japan so much, especially tonkotsu ramen (pork broth). It's perfect on a cold winter day. Once we ate, we drove to a place called "Matsushiro." I don't remember all the history exactly, but basically, in 1944 during WWII they built a bunch of tunnels in a mountain that they intended to evacuate politicians and other important people to. They built separate quarters and tunnels for the emperor and his family to escape to. Well, three days before everyone was going to evacuate Tokyo and head to the tunnels, the war ended. So the tunnels were never used for their intended purpose. The tunnels were made with many Korean prisoners and many of them died (partially from horrible treatment). Now there is a memorial by the tunnels and you can go inside a bit. It was very interesting.

Later in the day, we went to Nagano City's main temple, Zenkoji, for a lantern festival. Many people, some students, had crafted lanterns with various patterns. Some of them were really amazing! The temple's main gates and buildings were also illuminated in blue, red, and purple. There were too many people in my opinion, but it was still fun. It reminded me of being in Tokyo.

We didn't get back to Shimosuwa until midnight. I didn't get much sleep and then had to work today, so even now I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open. I am sooooo glad I went, though. It was a super fun day trip and I made many wonderful memories to take home with me to America. :)