Yamanouchi Onsen Nagano

Yamanouchi, in the northern Nagano highlands along the Nakatsu River valley, is internationally celebrated as the home of the famous snow monkeys of Jigokudani — Japanese macaques who descend from the forested ridge each winter to warm themselves in the natural thermal pools of the valley floor, creating one of the most photographed wildlife spectacles in the entire animal kingdom. Yamanouchi Onsen Nagano draws on chloride-rich thermal waters from the volcanic geology of the northern Nagano mountain zone, providing restorative baths in a village where the snow monkey thermal bathing culture creates a deeply moving parallel to human hot spring traditions that has made Yamanouchi globally famous among wildlife and spa travellers alike. The Jigokudani Monkey Park's winter snow monkey viewing, the Shiga Kogen highland plateau with its extraordinary ski resort network spanning dozens of interconnected runs above the treeline, and the traditional Wakasato and Shibu hot spring village communities make Yamanouchi one of the most internationally recognised and distinctive thermal destinations in the Japanese Alps.