The Japan Saga, Part III: Snow Monkeys and a Public Bath

What do you get when you combine the following elements:  natural hot springs, a picturesque mountain forest blanketed in clean white snow, and wild Japanese macaques (snow monkeys)?  Answer:  You get the single coolest day of my Japan trip.

Around a decade ago, I saw a film called Baraka.  Maybe you’ve heard of it.  It’s done in a style that’s usually called “pure cinema” – meaning there are no characters, no plot, no storyline or narration.  Instead, themes are explored through the use of vivid imagery accompanied by music.  That’s it.  Anyway, Baraka opens up with a very memorable scene of red-faced primates relaxing (there’s no other word to describe it) in a steaming pool of water surrounded by snow.  The scene is very surreal.  The camera zeros in on a monkey’s face as he closes his eyes and exhales – an uncannily human-like expression of contentment that I found unforgettable.  (See a clip here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG9P7JWtxhw)

This short scene impressed me deeply at the time, for reasons I can’t fully articulate.  I had never seen images of primates in such surroundings– I was accustomed to seeing them in tropical environments, the jungles of the Amazon or Indonesia, the African bush, etc.  But surrounded by snow?  That was different.  It was easy enough for me to discover that these scenes were filmed at a very specific location in Japan, where a certain population of macaques (the northernmost dwelling primate on Earth, except for humans) is known to frequent a certain hot spring year-round.  When I began planning my itinerary for Japan, this information came back to me, and I decided that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see with my own eyes a beguiling scene that had lodged itself so firmly in my memory years before.

And so it was that on the day after I visited Hiroshima, I found myself on a rather lengthy train ride to Yudanaka.  Due to the remoteness of the so-called monkey hot springs, this was probably the most ambitious destination of my Japan itinerary.  As well-known as the snow monkeys are, this place is a bit removed from the well-beaten tourist path.  Many of the people who visit Nagano Prefecture do so for the skiing, not for the monkeys.   Yudanaka is therefore not the most easy-to-get-to place.  I had to take a Shinkansen train from Toyohashi to Nagoya, then transfer to the Shinano line bound for Nagano (host of the 1998 winter Olympics).  About 30 minutes before reaching Nagano, the train came out of a tunnel and I was treated to a spectacular view of the city nestled in a snowy valley enclosed by the towering Japanese Alps.  Nice.  Once in Nagano, I had to catch a slow local train (not covered by my rail pass) to Yudanaka Onsen, a small, remote hot spring town near the monkeys. 

I immediately set out in search of my accommodation.  As I walked along the road, I noticed the sound of rushing water.  There were gutters on either side of the street that had natural hot spring water flowing through them.  It also came pouring out of spouts located at seemingly random spots along the road, generating plumes of steam everywhere.  After a short walk, I found the place I was looking for.  I had booked a room at Shimaya Ryokan – a traditional Japanese inn.  When I arrived, I was greeted by the energetic, animated owner, Ichiro-san Yumoto.  He bombarded me with questions about where I’m from, where I’ve been in Japan, where else I plan to go.  He informed me that, though I had requested accommodation in the male dorm, another guest had requested to rent out the entire dorm for his group.  I therefore got bumped up to a private room at no additional cost.  I love when things just happen to work out in my favor like this.

My private room at Shimaya Ryokan

My room was beautiful and cozy --   a tatami-matted floor, a low table with a tea set, and a paper-partition sliding door concealing a sort of “breakfast nook” and a balcony.  After taking a quick look around, I dropped my luggage on the mattress and headed back downstairs to the lobby.

One of the reasons I had chosen to stay at this place, other than for the traditional ryokan experience, was because Mr. Yumoto offered a free shuttle to the monkey park – which otherwise would’ve been much more difficult to reach by way of public buses.  We hopped in his van, just the two of us, and he drove me through Yudanaka and the adjacent Shibu Onsen (pointing out various places of interest along the way) before eventually turning up a steep mountain road.  Before long, we came to a massive sign reading “Jigokudani Yaen Koen.”  This was the entrance to the monkey hot spring.  It’s not possible to drive all the way up to the spot where the monkeys are, so I had the pleasure of walking 1.6 km on a pretty forest path in the light of a fading afternoon. 

Wild macaque sighting!

As I neared the onsen, I started spotting monkeys from a distance.  They were numerous, dotting the hillside, the river bank, and the trail ahead.  I couldn’t believe how many there were.  Suddenly, I heard a noise behind me and turned to see a macaque scurrying toward me on the rail that ran along this part of the trail.  I stood still and held my breath as he got nearer.  He paused briefly by my side and graciously allowed me to snap a quick photo before continuing on his way.  This was my first personal encounter with a wild primate – an item checked off my bucket list.

It’s a rare experience in life to have something that you’ve subconsciously treated with so much anticipation to actually exceed expectations.  But this was one of those times.  The hot spring, while small, looked every bit as striking and picturesque as I remembered from the scene in Baraka.   Steam rose from the surface; snow fell softly all around; the monkeys lounged languid and idle in their soak.  There were no barriers, nothing to prevent me from getting up close and personal with them.  They generally ignored me and the small number of other humans that were around, going about their business of bathing, playing, foraging for food, posturing and screaming at each other.  There were intimidating big ones.  There were adorable babies.  They ran wildly around chasing each other, brushing against my legs in the process.  It was truly an amazing and unique experience. 

A rare sight:  wild Japanese macaques soaking in a natural onsen.

Not even in a zoo have I ever been able to observe primates at such close proximity.  I was transfixed by their dexterous hands, their human-like facial expressions.  I began to discern distinct personalities.  This one is bold and mischievous; this one is timid and demure; this one is aggressive and short-tempered, an alpha male perhaps.  I can’t begin to describe my level of fascination as I walked among them, studying their behavior, taking their pictures.  The word “surreal” is insufficient. 

I’m not sure how long I stayed there – at least an hour.  Maybe two.  It started to grow dark, and I had to reluctantly return to the trailhead to meet Mr. Yumoto for my ride back into town.  As we pulled up to the ryokan some time later, Mr. Yumoto turned to me with a proposition.  “Soon, I will drive two guests to Tominoyu roten-buro.  It is outdoor hot spring bath with nice view.  Old Japanese tradition, very relaxing.  Will you go?”

 Sure.  Why not.

The two other guests accompanying me to the roten-buro were ethnic Japanese guys from New Zealand.  Those of you who know me personally undoubtedly also know that I’ve had a small obsession with NZ ever since I studied there in 2006.  So I had plenty to talk with them about on the 6 km drive.  (“You lived in Dunedin?  Must’ve been cold.”  “Why is that always the first thing people mention when Dunedin comes up?”)  Once we arrive at the roten-buro, we put money into a ticket-machine (600 yen) and selected what kind of experience we wanted.  We could choose between a public bath or, for quadruple the cost, a private bath.  I opted for the public, as did my kiwi Japanese companions.  I entered the locker room alone as they hung back to smoke cigarettes in the waiting area.

I walked into a locker room filled with stark naked Japanese guys amicably laughing and chatting with each other as they dressed.  They were young – close to my own age, as far as I could tell.  They gave me curious looks as I entered, apparently unaccustomed to seeing a foreigner here.  It was a little odd at first.  In the West, we still tend to view nudity as a private, even shameful thing – a relic notion left over from the Victorian age, or maybe it comes from our Puritanical roots – who knows?  Typically, western men are especially insecure and awkward with their nakedness in the presence of other males.  But these Japanese guys, on the other hand, seemed so comfortable joking with each other with their dangly bits hanging out to air dry.  No shame.  No insecurity.  And why should there be?  Really, none of us had anything that the others hadn’t seen before.  It was actually kind of refreshing how free they were in their nakedness. 

I quickly stripped down and strode unclad into the adjacent washroom.  It was empty.  Along the opposite wall there was a row of removable shower heads, mirrors, a low shelf with soap and shampoo, and several plastic stools.  To the right was a small sauna room.  To the left was the door leading out to the onsen.  Fortunately, I knew what to do because Mr. Yumoto had given me a quick run-down of the routine and told me how to observe proper onsen etiquette.  I sat on one of the stools, washed, and rinsed thoroughly – it’s supposedly unacceptable to enter an onsen while dirty or with traces of soap on your body. 

The next step was to enter the sauna, which was also empty.  Beside the door there was a small hourglass fixed to the wall.  The idea is that you’re supposed to turn the hourglass over when you enter, then exit the sauna once it’s run its course.  I spread out my small towel on the lowest bench (another etiquette thing) and lay down.  After becoming adjusted to the heat, I rose to a sitting position and moved to the top bench, where the heat is more intense.  I couldn’t have been in the sauna for more than 5 or 10 minutes, but it was long enough for my body to go from wet to dry to sweating. 

After the intense heat of the sauna, the cooler air of the washroom felt very refreshing.  By this time, my new kiwi Japanese friends were there going through their shower routine.  The next step for me was to rinse off the sauna sweat with cold water.  I wasn’t too enthused about the cold water part, but Mr. Yumoto insisted that using cold water has therapeutic and health benefits, so I just gritted my teeth and got it over with as quickly as possible.

Stepping through the doorway into the freezing night sucked the air right out of my lungs.  This loss of breath was augmented by the breath-taking view of the twinkling lights of Yudanaka, which could be seen in the valley below from the onsen’s prominent perch on the mountainside.  The bath was dimly lit and quite large, made to look very nature-y with roughly-hewn stones, landscaping, and a waterfall.  Snow lay all around.  The heat of the pool fought an elemental battle with the frigid air, producing huge wafts of steam that swayed and danced fiercely in the breeze. 

There were two men in the pool already – an elderly man submerged chest-deep at the far end, and a young man sitting on the near edge with just his legs dangling in the water.  Neither gave me more than a passing glance as I walked over to a more secluded part of the pool.

At first, the water was excruciatingly hot.  It was almost intolerable.  I had to ease myself in very slowly, and even then it took a while before it became bearable.  Shortly after I entered the pool, the other two bathers left and returned to the shower room.  This allowed me several precious minutes of alone time with the steam and the beautiful view.  I closed my eyes and let the onsen take its effect on my body and mind.  I paid attention to the sound of the wind, the gurgling of the waterfall, the occasional giggles and snippets of hushed conversation coming from the other side of a tall wooden fence where the female bath was located.  I understood why the Japanese had been doing this for centuries – I can’t remember the last time I felt so relaxed and at peace.  I was so absorbed that I hadn’t even notice that the kiwi travelers had exited the washroom and slipped wordlessly into the other end of the pool.

As relaxing as the experience was, the temperature of the water was still just a tad too hot for my taste.  I found it was best to try to remain as still as possible – movement seemed to magnify the heat.  After a while, I raised myself half-way out of the water.  The breeze, which had earlier felt so uncomfortably cold, now felt incredibly good.  I sat that way for a while – my lower half submerged in the hot water, my torso and head exposed to the freezing air.  It began to snow, completing the perfect picture.  In this position, I couldn’t actually feel just how cold that cold breeze really was – it was quite a surprise when I went to run my hand through my hair and discovered that my hair had frozen into icicles. 

Tominoyu roten-buro, with a nighttime view of Yudanaka

I soaked in the bath for around 45 minutes before I climbed out and went inside.  I bypassed the washroom this time – you’re supposed to let the nutrients and minerals of the hot spring water to dry on your skin.  While I was dressing, my two kiwi Japanese companions exited the bath as well.  I took advantage of the onsen being empty to run back out with my camera and snap a photo.  I’m not sure if this was a breach of the rules of etiquette or not.  But I’m glad I was able to capture the scene.

Once exiting the locker room, you’re supposed to sit and relax for a while in a post-bath waiting room.  The waiting room at this onsen facility provided us with drinks (for rehydration) and electric massage chairs.  I sat in one of these chairs with a cup of tea and my ipod, listened to some Sigur Ros, and was lulled into a pleasantly sleepy stupor while waiting for Mr. Yumoto to come pick us up.

One more blog post to go in the Japan Saga series.  Stay tuned.  It'll be up on the site later this week!