Can you touch the snow monkeys?
The rules, and why each one exists
- Do not touch. They are wild macaques with teeth and an opinion. A monkey that learns humans handle it stops behaving like a monkey.
- Do not feed them, and keep food out of sight. An open snack in your hand is an invitation, and the animal that takes it will try again with the next visitor.
- Do not stare into a monkey’s eyes. A direct stare is a threat display in their language, not a friendly greeting in ours. Look near them, not at them.
- Keep your distance. They will come closer than you expect and walk past your boots. Let them. Stand still and let the animal choose the distance.
If a monkey walks straight towards you on the path, stop and look slightly away. It is going somewhere and you are in the way. Backing off calmly settles it every time.
Can you bathe with them?
No, and this surprises people who have seen the photographs. The hot-spring pool at Jigokudani was made for the monkeys, and humans do not get in. If you want a bath yourself, Shibu Onsen is a few minutes down the valley and is a proper hot-spring town of wooden ryokan and public baths. Going up to the monkeys in the morning and into a bath of your own in the afternoon is the best version of this day.
Are they dangerous?
Not if you behave. In all the years I have walked up there I have seen far more trouble come from people than from monkeys, and almost all of it involved food or a camera pushed too close. They are used to being watched and completely uninterested in you, which is exactly what makes the visit worth the walk — more on that in is it worth it. Around 160 wild monkeys use the park, and they come because it is fed and leave when they choose. Nobody is keeping them there for you.
The same restraint applies on the path in. Monkeys use the trail too, and it is 1.6 km of forest where you may meet one well before the park gate — see the walk to the park.
Frequently asked questions
Can you touch the snow monkeys in Japan?
No. The park’s rules are clear: do not touch, do not feed, and keep food out of sight. They are wild animals that tolerate an audience, which is the only reason the visit works at all — see is it worth it.
Why should you not look a snow monkey in the eye?
A direct stare is a threat display in macaque body language. Look near an animal rather than at it, keep your distance and let it choose how close to come.
Can humans bathe with the snow monkeys?
No. The pool was made for the monkeys and people do not enter it. Shibu Onsen, the hot-spring town closest to the trailhead, is where you take your own bath — a short way from the path described on the walk to the park.