Japan’s hot spring bathing macaques draw record crowds, raising concern for their welfare

Each winter, hundreds of thousands of tourists go to see the spectacle of Japan’s snow monkeys bathing in the hot springs of Jigokudani Park in Nagano. Temperatures in the Japanese Alps plunge to around minus 20 and the macaques rely on the natural springs to survive the cold. With increasing visitor numbers to Japan, the monkeys have become the region's biggest attraction which is raising concern for their welfare. Staff here say the number of visitors to Jigokudani Park last year reached 257,000, the highest since it opened in 1964. The majority—60%—are from overseas. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) website, there were 36,869,900 foreign visitors to the country between January and December 2024—an increase of 47% from the previous year. Park director Toshio Hagiwara shares mixed feelings about the surge in visitors. The increase in visitor numbers has improved the park's finances but Hagiwara expresses concern over the impact of tourism, particularly as many people try to physically interact with the monkeys. "Some visitors do not follow rules—touching monkeys, throwing stones at them and trying to feed them. Inside (the park) we are strictly monitoring and giving them warnings, but some still do it sneakily as we cannot monitor the whole area, which has been quite a pain in the neck for us," he says. "As a company, our business is going well to the level that we can relax financially. There was a time that we were at the risk of closing the park. So compared to that, we are financially relaxed now thanks to them (tourists)." Hagiwara also warns that many visitors arrive ill-prepared for the snow-blanketed and potentially treacherous valley and many injure themselves. Among the well-prepared tourists is French visitor Mari Berbertiere, who's secured lodging near the park to catch the monkeys in the early morning before the crowds arrive. "Too many people. But I knew it was like that, so it is not a surprise," she says. This article was provided by The Associated Press.