Jigokudani Yaen monkey park
One of the coolest spectacles in all of Japan is to watch the wild snow monkeys of the Japanese Alps sit out a snowy winter day soaking in the hot waters of a naturally-heated onsen. At Jigokudani Yaenkoen monkey park, just above Nagano, you can see these migratory macaques, the world’s most northerly primates (besides man) forage for food under the snow and soak in an onsen to relax after a hard days work. The monkeys can be reached after a 1.6 km hike over a wide path covered in cedars along the Yogoku River (itself a beautiful activity during a snowfall).