Snow Monkey (Nagano, Japan)

I feel sick today nevertheless, i need to post blog. Sick of eating too much hahahaha… but, seriously, my tummy really hurts. Because we eat snacks at the Dessert Buffet. Who can refused cakes and ice cream a lot of variety I will just post it another time.

so, let’s get started… But before we start, i just want to share this lovely and cute folded towel in Disneyland hotel.

It was Trigger and Winnie the pooh… We took train from Tokyo to Nagano Station and Nagano train again going to Yudanaka, Nagano.

Nagano (長野市 Nagano-shi^?), the capital city of Nagano Prefecture, is located in the northern part of the prefecture near the confluence of the Chikuma and the Sai rivers, on the main Japanese island of Honshū.

As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 387,146 and a population density of 460 persons per km². The total area is 834.85 km².

We check-in in Suminoyu Hotel, Nagano from Yudanaka station they pick us up going to the Hotel. Take a look of our Hotel. It was very traditional Japanese style.

Our Hotel I will say highly recommended, really… the staff our friendly and they will really feel you at home. So, we arrived in the Hotel around 2pm so, a bit early rest for a while and we go onsen (hot spring) around the area.

An onsen (温泉^?) is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As avolcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth. Onsen were traditionally used as public bathing places and today play a central role in directing Japanese domestic tourism.

Onsen come in many types and shapes, including outdoor (露天風呂 or 野天風呂 roten-buro or noten-buro^?) and indoor baths. Baths may be either publicly run by a municipality or private (内湯 uchiyu^?) often run as part of a hotel, ryokan or bed and breakfast (民宿 minshuku^?).

Onsen are a central feature of Japanese tourism, typically found out in the countryside, but there are a number of popular establishments still found within major cities. They are a major tourist attraction drawing Japanese couples, families or company groups who want to get away from the hectic life of the city to relax. Japanese often talk of the virtues of “naked communion” (裸の付き合い hadaka no tsukiai^?)^[1] for breaking down barriers and getting to know people in the relaxed homey atmosphere of a ryokan with an attached onsen. Japanese television channels often feature special programs about local onsens.^{[citation needed]}

The presence of an onsen is often indicated on signs and maps by the symbol ♨ or the kanji, 湯 (yu, meaning “hot water”). Sometimes the simpler hiragana character ゆ (yu) is used, to be understandable to younger children.^{[citation needed]}

Roten-buro outdoor onsen at Nakanoshima in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama

Indoor onsen at Ōfuka Onsen

Traditionally, onsen were located outdoors, although a large number of inns have now built indoor bathing facilities as well. Onsen by definition use naturally hot water fromgeothermally heated springs. Onsen should be differentiated from sentō, indoor public bath houses where the baths are filled with heated tap water.^{[citation needed]}

The legal definition of an onsen includes that its water must contain at least one of 19 designated chemical elements, including such minerals as iron, sulfur, and metabolic acid and be 25 °C or warmer before being reheated. Stratifications exist for waters of different temperatures. Major onsen resort hotels often feature a wide variety of themed spa baths and artificial waterfalls in the bathing area utaseyu (打たせ湯^?).

Onsen water is believed to have healing powers derived from its mineral content.^{[citation needed]} A particular onsen may feature several different baths, each with water with a different mineral composition. The outdoor bath tubs are most often made from Japanese cypress, marble or granite, while indoor tubs may be made with tile, acrylic glass orstainless steel. Different onsen also boast about their different waters or mineral compositions, plus what healing properties these may contain. Other services like massages may be offered.^{[citation needed]}

People often travel to onsen with colleagues, friends, couples or their families.^{[citation needed]}

Alright, too much information… as you know we loved hot spring it’s really help to our body and warm up. We ate late lunch or let say snacks at the store Udon (Nagano Specialty)

and as we walk by around the area you saw the Soft boiled Egg Onsen (hot spring).

Amazing right, that’s really hot water. Anyway, we tried as well the feet onsen in front of our hotel. Look my lovely princess she keeps on laughing her big brother bec. the water is too hot.

As we came back to our hotel time for dinner. We didn’t expect the food in hotel how generous they are. They served breakfast and dinner. Very tasty and a Japanese Style and we didn’t know which one will be first to eat hehehe… My hubby says you most eat the one in front of you and round the clock, from right to left. Take a look below.

The Japanese macaque (/məˈkɑːk/;^[2] Macaca fuscata), also known as the snow monkey, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species native to Japan. They get their name “snow monkey” because they live in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year – no other nonhuman primate is more northern-living, nor lives in a colder climate.^[3][4] Individuals have brown-grey fur, red faces, and short tails. Two subspecies are known.^[5]

In Japan, the species is known Parsazaru Nihonzaru (Nihon 日本 “Japan” + saru 猿 “monkey”) to distinguish it from other primates, but the Japanese macaque is very familiar in Japan, so when Japanese people simply say saru, they usually have in mind the Japanese macaque.

They are so cute with their red face. They not that wild monkey of course don’t feed them that’s the golden rule.

As we go back to our hotel, we completed the 9 Hot spring in the area.

We bought this towl in our hotel. They call it Junyoku Special Towel. At the nine Sotoyu Public baths and Takayakushi Shrines. The Ten Seals can also be stamped on the Junyoku japanese towel, which is available as a souvenir. If all the 10 seals are stamped on your towel, it is said you will be rewarded with divine favors such as the expulsion of evil spirits, safe delivery of babies, and perpetual youth and longevity. It has become very popular amoung tourist like us.  Below are some Public Hot Spring.

We really loved to stay here and for sure will coming back with the same hotel as well. Love it, highly recommended. You will not regret to stay in this hotel.

Now, I just need to take a rest for a while. While writing this blog i go lie down for couple of minutes and back to write. 

***Bye for now ***