Japanese Snow Monkeys

[teowws]

your transport from Tokyo to Nagano is it by Shinkansen or normal train?

 

[devilry]

i stayed in shinjuku. so i take the JR train from shinjuku to tokyo, then bullet train from tokyo to nagano, then a limited express train from nagano to yudanaka, then a bus from yudanaka to the base of the monkey park hill, then lastly a 45 mins trek uphill to the park - about 5 hours one-way in total.

 

[teowws]

i stayed in shinjuku. so i take the JR train from shinjuku to tokyo, then bullet train from tokyo to nagano, then a limited express train from nagano to yudanaka, then a bus from yudanaka to the base of the monkey park hill, then lastly a 45 mins trek uphill to the park - about 5 hours one-way in total.

OMG such long journey , i too am planning to go to the snow monkey park this Feb,is the 45min trail to the park directed with signage?

 

[devilry]

there's about 3 or so signage, counting from the base of the hill... but dun worry, it's a one way trek up the hill, so u won't get lost... and besides, there will be other tourists going the place, so all just crowd together and go together you won't get lost..

In normal summer season, and if you never carry heavy load, I guess with reasonable fitness, the trek can be completed within 30mins. However, going in winter season (and if u have a heavy load), u will be slowed down... the road (which is covered with snow/ice) is really very slippery... Be very very very careful when u walk... take small steps aka walk like the penguins.. if u are able to buy the snow spikes attachments to wrap around ur shoes, it will be perfect (I dunno where to find the snow spike attachments in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagano... those convenience shops/department stores/Tokyo hands/takashimaya etc. doesn't sell them...) I know u can buy in Singapore northface for $49 - it may not be worthwhile for 1 trip... so just walk carefully..

yes, the journey to-and-fro ate up 90% of the day - I departed at abt 7am from Shinjuku, and reach back Tokyo in evening at abt 7-8pm (and I only managed close to just 2 hours of shooting!), which is why I think departing at 6am is the most ideal.. And don't forget, u have to wait for the local train, u have to wait for ur shinkansen (frequency abt 2 hikari class shinkansen per hour for u if u use japan rail pass, so u can expect to wait abt 20-30mins for the shinkansen), and for the limited express train from nagano to yudanaka (the waiting time is again abt 15-20mins), and for the bus from yudanaka to the snow monkey park (personally I waited abt 18mins)... So guess this will give u a clearer picture why it takes so long.

I dunno how much load (camera eqpt + winter clothings) u will be carrying, but if u have ipad/nexus 7/galaxy tab, it would be good to bring with u to help u kill the train journey time... for my case, I only played with my iphone, as my bag was too heavy to bring ipads.. (frankly, after this recent japan trip, I am rather "scared" of the long distance shinkansen and train journeys.... they are simply long and boring and I felt like I am locked in a moving prison..)

All in all, the highlight of the entire day trip to the monkey park, is really just the monkey and the snow covered surroundings.. all the rest didn't excite me at all, but rather bore me down tremendously...

 

[madmartian]

Lovely add on shots devilry! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Well shot of these nice monkeys.
Did you soak yourself in the hot spring to shoot them?:think: :bsmilie:

 

[teowws]

lol for me i never get tired of shinkasen ride, infact always look forward to it. my longest shinkansen journey is like 3 hours. I usually buy food, drinks and just sit enjoy the scenery if its daytime. Maybe its becoz i am travelling with my wife so not so boring compare to just travelling alone. Now still cannot decide whether to bring a DSLR or my lumix GX1, the load of a dslr also worries me abit now with such long hikes.

 

[devilry]

Lovely add on shots devilry! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Well shot of these nice monkeys.
Did you soak yourself in the hot spring to shoot them?:think: :bsmilie:

hahaha.... if i have swimming trunks, and if there's no one around, i might just strip and go in! but think the water will be too smelly & i will itch all over after i jumped in!! (i can smell foul stench when around the hot spring area...)

so no.... i didnt go in... however i did at moments lie on the snow to shoot them so as to get eye level shots... afterall, monkeys are so short(at most 60cm height?) so i have to go quite low to shoot at eye level....

subsequently, when the snow melts on my attire, now thats real disgusting...

 

[samtcy]

I was there too...just a few weeks before you. Still yet to post mine up though.
I went to the monkey park on 22 Dec and 26 Dec. It was drizzling on 22 Dec and heavy snow on 26 Dec.
The place (and trek) looks so different on both my visits.

 

[devilry]

I was there too...just a few weeks before you. Still yet to post mine up though.
I went to the monkey park on 22 Dec and 26 Dec. It was drizzling on 22 Dec and heavy snow on 26 Dec.
The place (and trek) looks so different on both my visits.

Yep, i was in japan just a few weeks after u went quick quick post ur monkey photos!

In my case i only experienced 1 day (abt 2hrs of rain).. The remaining days were either snowing, or wind super chilly, sky very thick cloudy...not really much sun though

 

[samtcy]

Yep, i was in japan just a few weeks after u went quick quick post ur monkey photos!

In my case i only experienced 1 day (abt 2hrs of rain).. The remaining days were either snowing, or wind super chilly, sky very thick cloudy...not really much sun though

It rained on my 1st trip to Snow monkey (22 Dec) and before that, it was usually cloudy (and pretty chilly, but no snow) at Tokyo.
It started to get really cold on 23 Dec when I went for a day trip to Matsumoto and Narai but didn't really snowed.

On 24th Dec it snowed really heavily that it was on the news. I was at Nozawa onsen (1hr north east of Nagano) and the streets were all snowy and slushy. Had to loan boots from the ryokan we were staying at or else my toes will freeze off. Townsfolk at Nozawa onsen were shovelling snow all day long on this day. I couldn't even read my map because the map surface gets filled with snow within 2 seconds...The whole area felt like mid-feb Hokkaido instead of dec Nagano weather. It was crazy.

Luckily on Christmas day, it stopped snowing and the weather was comfortable. (Cold but bearable).

On 26 Dec, on the day we left Nozawa onsen and headed back to Yudanaka, it was snowing quite heavily again, but not as bad as 24th Dec.
We chose to go monkey park again on this day.

Here's a visual comparison of the weather conditions for both my visits. Just a mere 4 days difference.

 

[azzurri]

thanks for braving the snow and for the beautiful shots!

 

[devilry]

thanks for braving the snow and for the beautiful shots!

Thanks very much azzurri

 

[devilry]

Here's a few more pics of the cutie pies!

My wife then took a pic of me shooting the monkeys without my knowledge... it was only then that I realize myself is becoming a snow monkey!
When I looked at her photos, I came to realize the amount of snow that had accumulated on the back of my body in a short while, and from then on I had to keep on brushing away the snow all over my body.

yea.. first time seeing snow, might as well make a fool of one self right!

 

[benny]

14th Jan. I remember that day well. Snow was so heavy that we didn't leave the house. It's good to see that the trip still turned out well besides the snow fall. The snowy bits on the monkeys makes it a more interesting picture.

Perhaps I'll try to visit the monkeys in Feb/Mar when the weather isn't so cold.

Anyway, great pics and thanks for sharing!

Cheers,

 

[teowws]

wah your camera + lens like snow soaked.

 

[devilry]

14th Jan. I remember that day well. Snow was so heavy that we didn't leave the house. It's good to see that the trip still turned out well besides the snow fall. The snowy bits on the monkeys makes it a more interesting picture.

Perhaps I'll try to visit the monkeys in Feb/Mar when the weather isn't so cold.

Anyway, great pics and thanks for sharing!

Cheers,

Thanks benny!

Actually the heavy snow did have an impact on the shooting and the photos, many photos turn out greyish.. I tried my best to avoid greyish photos by waiting till there's lesser snow fall between the object and my lens (i.e. when the object appears clearer in the viewfinder), before i press the shutter.. This way the snow fall will not affect the images much (though i missed some moments as a result). I had wanted to visit the park again, but the 12 hours time required made it impossible within my trip there..

wah your camera + lens like snow soaked.

Haha..ya.. But snow is better than rain because u still can wipe them off ur body and lens before it melts

 

[lankyal]

Nice series and writeup! Thanks for sharing

 

[madmartian]

Great shots devilry! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I like the last contrasting shot.

 

[ricleo]

yea.. first time seeing snow, might as well make a fool of one self right!

Haaa first time I see someone using SAF Gortex jacket as part of a winter wear layering combo!

 

[nemo]

i stayed in shinjuku. so i take the JR train from shinjuku to tokyo, then bullet train from tokyo to nagano, then a limited express train from nagano to yudanaka, then a bus from yudanaka to the base of the monkey park hill, then lastly a 45 mins trek uphill to the park - about 5 hours one-way in total.

SALUTE!