The previous two nights were spent in Yudanaka, a tiny town about 50 minutes by train from Nagano. We went there mainly because of the famous Snow Monkeys. Even the limited express train from Nagano to Yudanaka is called Snow Monkey. The monkeys are not kept in captivity but are well fed by the parks people, mainly to keep them coming to the park so that the tourists get their money's worth. Of course, if you go when it's snowing you will see them playing in the snow. The thing that is really special about them is that they enjoy a hot spa. We have human onsen. They have monkey onsen. It seems that before the parks people built a special pool for the monkeys, they (the monkeys of course) would visit a place which sprouts hot steam to get a steam bath. Now that the parks people have attracted most of the monkeys away the owner of the steam bath is quite pissed and has put up a sign claiming that taking pictures of the steam sprout without permission is a criminal offence. But tourists don't care and continue snapping away.
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| "I'm in hot spa. How about you?" |
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| The babies are just adorable |
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| The monkey onsen is just that tiny pool where the humans are gathered |
Indeed if you can get pictures of the monkeys in the snow, they look fabulous. But they are cute nevertheless. And look very Japanese too, commented my former pilates instructor on Instagram.
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| After the long trek up and down hill in the cold, stop for hot noodles at Enza Cafe. We enjoyed them very much. And the staff are very friendly and helpful. |
In Yamanouchi, we also visited Shiga Kogen, the mountain resort which is reputedly the largest in Japan and host to the 1998 Winter Olympics. It was a short bus ride from the snow monkey hill, filled with excitement for some of us who had not seen or touched snow. And even for those who have seen snow.
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| Chun Way and Jillian made their first snowman |
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| It's a winter wonderland |
We also took a 20 minute train ride from Yudanaka to Obuse (O-boo-see) after coming down from the mountains. By the time we reached the town, it was about 4:30 pm and it had started to get dark. People seemed to be heading home and we noticed that most of the shops around the train station seemed to have closed. To put a further damper on the spirit, it started to rain. We had come to Obuse on the suggestion of the hotel owner who said that Japanese tourists love to go there to visit the temples and shrines and that there were many souvenir and other shops catering to tourists. We did enjoy a good dinner at the restaurant who's menu features only pork. No chicken, no fish, no nothing else. After dinner we explored the tiny town in the dark and found everything was closed except for a few eateries.
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| Nothing but pork on the menu |
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| This was about 6:30 pm - dark, cold and deserted on the streets of Obuse |
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| We walked through this famous Chestnut Street in almost complete darkness |
Yudanaka is the same in that way. This is not Tokyo or Osaka or even Kyoto. This is rural agricultural country so people don't hang around offices or coffeeshops until late at night. Most of the them probably work out in the fields and call it a day when the sun goes down. Anyway, it was really cold and not fun walking around or hanging out in the dark.
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| On our first night we went to the restaurant nearest to the hotel (recommended by the hotel owner). Stepping in was a culture shock. It was like going back to the Edo period - it seems they have not clean the place including the floor and seat cushion covers for eons. This was the restaurant owner coming out to the door to bid us goodbye after a quite average meal. |
Japanese are by nature friendly and helpful. We got an overdose of that when we arrived from Tokyo. A middle-aged man was handing out maps to visitors at the tourist information centre. And we were buying iced green tea from a vending machine, getting ready to walk to our hotel. For some reason, I opened up my google map on my iPhone and approached the man to confirm the direction of the hotel. "Bozanso", I said and pointed in what I thought was the direction of the hotel. Yes, he said and brought us on to the road to make it clear which road to take. A few moments later, he appeared with a cordless phone in hand and said "Bozanso owner" and indicated for us to talk on the phone. My wife talked to the owner and reported that the owner was coming to pick us up and told us to wait in the warm room at the tourist centre. We were so impressed with the hospitality. We found out from the hotel owner that the guy was a volunteer with the local tourist association.
Then this morning while we were about to depart Yudanaka for Nagano (and onwards to Kanazawa) the volunteer approached my wife and handed her a small framed picture of the scenic view from Snow Monkey hill and indicated that it was a present for my wife. And we went wow again.
The monkeys have the onsen and the humans have then onsen too. It was another reason we chose to visit Yamanouchi. My wife and I love the onsen. There's two separate townships or villages in this valley famous for their onsen. Most hotels and ryokan have their own private onsens. The hot spring water is pumped from a collecting point and distributed through the village. For the locals, there are many public baths, which are actually locked but residents have keys. Our hotel owner has a set of keys too and offered to let us use the public baths. We asked what's the difference. He said none. And then said "too hot", saying he prefers his own onsen. It seems that the nearby Shibu Onsen area attracts visitors by allowing guests at their ryokan to visit all nine public baths for free each one apparent good for various ailments. I think the onsens are good for the skin and also overall well-being.
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| Onsen is basically a big public bathroom. |
Apart the onsen (which I honestly think is not such a big draw for Yudanaka unlike those we saw in Hokkaido, but I might be wrong), the area takes in a lot of skiers. Today, the first saturday of December marks the opening of ski season in the area. Prices for the hotels shoots up by 50% or more. On our first night in Bozanso, we were the only guests. He Day san who collected us from the train station used to work in America waiting on tables now runs Bozanso (but he hates the cold) - he says his mother is the owner, "I'm just the driver". He even drove us to the base of the monkey park. He is attentive to his guests and jokes around to make visitors feel welcomed. There are only ten rooms in the three storey building. It is old but clean and well kept though some guests complain that it is rundown and needs a makeover. We felt perfectly at home.
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| He Day san is a rock-and-roll fan. He has been to Penang and loves the curry chicken. Friendly and helpful. I think he almost forgot to collect payment from us. Cash only here. |
More photos in googleablum Yamanouchi Snow Monkey 2017
Written at the tiny apartment in Kanazawa, just stone's throw from Higashi Chaya heritage district on Dec 2, 2017.
Main Page Japan 5.0
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