Winter Fun 2010: Monkeys, Monkeys, Monkeys

Every winter I've been in Japan, my teacher/town hall staff/soft volleyball teammate friends and I have gone on at least one skiing trip together. This year I roped a small contingent of them into going to Nagano the last weekend in February, not only for skiing, but to get in a visit to a hot-spring-loving-monkeys nature park. I mean, who wouldn't?!

The ski area we wanted to hit was part of the area where the Nagano Winter Olympics were held way back when. However, after 4 hours of driving (starting at 5am), this is what greeted us at the ski park entrance.

We were fairly certain there were mountains in there somewhere, but considering we couldn't even see the lift ticket purchase booth from the parking lot, we thought we'd hold out for better weather the next day, and just move up our "next day" activity, going to the monkey park. Of course, not before we got in a little playtime in the snow. :-)

Here you see Kumi (English teacher- worked together my first year in Japan), Chikao (town hall staff/soft volleyball team coordinator/every winter trip coordinator/the local friend who got married last summer), and Kei (soft volleyball teammate/town hall staff). The 4th member of the group, Akiko (Art teacher- worked with me and Kumi my first year in Japan) had wandered off into the fog...I believe this shot captured the reaction to the first in a series of snowballs she lobbed in our direction.

Here is Akiko, trying to play volleyball with snowballs we are throwing at her.

I think Chikao just threw a snowball straight up at himself....

Kei dances off into the fog as snowboarders and skiers disappear in the background.

Akiko looks sweet and innocent, but you do NOT want to be on the receiving end of her snowball throws....she has a preference for boulder-sized, hard-packed, and would give Randy Johnson a run for his money on throwing speed and accuracy. I'm not sure what Kei is doing here. Inner cheerleader?...

Kei and Akiko doing our volleyball team proud...?

Here Kei and Akiko learn that spiking a snowball doesn't end well for the spikee.

I think Chikao was trying to get a jump on the monkey business...hee hee...monkey business. Kumi is staging revenge on Akiko for her killer snowball throws.

Starting the walk through the woods towards the monkey park. A pause at a shrine.

At the monkey park entrance! We've got Hear No Evil, See No Evil, "I didn't get the memo," and Cupid.

A walk through the woods, completely with slippery snow, sharp drop-offs, and pea-soup fog. I think I saw the Brothers Grimm out there that day.

"Turn around everyone!" shot 24.

It was SUCH a cool ambiance that day, the weather being what it was.

I'm gonna go with the Big Bad Wolf and Little Grey Ridinghood.

We're close! We're very, very close! Straight ahead are the promised monkeys, but just across the bridge is where we are staying for the night.

Madonna would have been proud. Or not, but still, you get the picture. ;-)

Me too! I love how that lady in the back is standing there, posing as part of our photo...;-).
Crazy Kiwis!

Checked into our room, havin' some snacks. Green tea and sweet rice packed in leaves- a party favorite! Actually, they ARE very tasty, and I love anything wrapped in leaves, but I'm trying to picture how you introduce that snack at a party...."Here, eat this. It's a...."

Lovin' our rice-leaf snacks. :-)

Up close and personal.

First monkey sighting, right outside our room window! We heard some rustling in the bushes (thank goodness for all the shrubbery outside the window), and we all rushed from our rice-leaf snacks to see what was the matter.

And Mr. Monkey friend hanging outside the hallway window.

For a LOOOONG time. ;-D

I'd love to be able to put this sign up in my house. :-)

I LOVE this...the monkeys are laying on the hot water pipes!!!

View over our accommodation site. Our room is the little building in the upper-right-hand corner.

We have now officially entered "the main monkey zone." Prepare yourself for oodles of monkey cuteness in the upcoming 15,379 photos!

Excuse me, coming through! The monkeys honestly couldn't have cared less that we were there. They just went about their business and ignored all the humans for the most part. :-) That's Akiko that the monkey is passing, by the way.

I LOVE the expression on this monkey's face! Straight out of "Grumpy Old Men."

I call them "The Spock Twins," looking for seeds in the snow. This monkey park is managed a bit, in that workers shovel out seeds into the snow for the monkeys at various times during the day. But there are no fences or barriers to keep the monkeys contained (as far as I know, anyway). And we could wander at will amongst them. It was FANTASTIC.

And here's why the monkey park is so famous. Apparently it's very rare to find wild monkeys who enjoy a good hot spring soaking.

Look very closely at the expression on this monkey's face. I'm gonna let you make up your own caption here, because there are hundreds that could be used. ;-) My two favorites though, are "Who brought these idiots?" and "You call ME the monkey?!"

It was truly amazing there. I stayed for an extra hour and a half after the others went back to the hotel.

:-D

Feeding time!

So precious...

Looking back towards the monkey hot spring (on the right).

Whoops...somebody's not happy!

But somebody else is! Quite!

This little monkey was seriously focused on finding seeds and didn't seem to mind me tailing it for at least 15 minutes.




We did actually get to go skiing the next day too, but my camera battery ran out (as I'm sure you have NO difficulty imagining) and my recharger was in my other bag...in the car...on the other side of the woods in the car park. Bummer. But I got the most important footage anyway. ;-) This was by far one of the highlights of my time in Japan. AMAzing.