Jigokudani snow monkey park

Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Yamanouchi

Trip Diary Day 3 - 31 March 2019

Check out Episode 2 of our Epic Family Road Trip Across Japan.

We were up early again for breakfast downstairs. Early for us is like 8 am. There is no way I’m seeing 4 am again on this holiday unless we catch a flight somewhere and I don’t think that is going to happen; I helped write the itinerary.

One of the best things at a Ryokan is the big traditional ryokan breakfast. So much food. Salad, fish, tofu, pickles, omelette. Sausages and eggs for the kids. Green tea. Much more than my usual muesli, slice of toast and coffee routine. To be honest I struggle with this much food in the morning. Michelle on the other hand has a healthy nutritious breakfast every single day. So a good Japanese breakfast is her favourite thing in the world. Getting dressed for meals at a ryokan is half the fun too. A yukata is a traditional robe mostly used as a bathrobe but a yukata is generally provided by the ryokan so you can wear it to meal times as well. I wear mine shopping, to work, walking the dog... Like I’ve said previously, you have to have a full ryokan experience, including breakfast and dinner, at least once. Now if they also served the shokupan toast you can get in Japanese cafes it would be the perfect breakfast. Otherwise it is pretty darn close to perfect. Note to self: I must try and make shokupan when I get home. I love that fluffy sweet bread.

A Haiku (by me, stolen from my Instagram)

Yummy onsen egg
Tofu soup and piece of fish
Nattō is yucky

After breakfast it was onsen time. An onsen is another reason to stay in a ryokan. Most will have an onsen or two (or more depending on the size of the ryokan). Some will have outdoor and indoor onsen. Yusaragi’s onsen is indoors but one wall is a giant plate glass window looking out to a small, beautiful Japanese garden. And we had it to ourselves.

So serene, so zen, so relax. Except for big naked guy with camera harassing to get the perfect shot, and two kids bouncing up and down in the water behind complaining about the too hot water and who gets to hold the cold water hose and screaming "don't spray me with cold water idiot". Ah yes. There is nothing quite so relaxing and tranquil as a soak in an onsen, a hot spring bath, in a traditional Japanese ryokan. Family time in the hot tub.

We relaxed in the onsen for more than an hour. The change room had a massage chair and Brandon figured out how to use it all by himself.

A Haiku (by me, stolen from my Instagram)

A moment of zen
Quiet bath revives the soul
Not with family

Enza Cafe

One of the reasons we came to Yudanaka again was so Brandon could see the Japanese macaques - the snow monkeys. We’ve been a couple of times before. Once prior to kids and once with two year old Georgia and Michelle very pregnant with Brandon. So this was going to be Brandon’s first visit to the snow monkeys. Wombs with a view are a rarity so we don’t count Brandon’s last visit. Although Michelle did try to shake him loose last time when she slipped on the icy track on the way back from Jigokudani. Luckily she landed in snow drift.

We chose lunch at Enza Cafe up near the monkey park because it was near the monkey park entrance - and it rated highly. It’s about a 10 minutes drive from Yusaragi near the Yudanaka railway station to the Enza. The area looked familiar but we didn’t remember Enza being there previously. A couple of hundred metres before we got there there were guys with glow sticks directing cars and buses into car parks. That didn’t happen before either. We said we were going to Enza after one of the guys with glow sticks asked “monkey park?” So we were allowed to drive on. We figured that Enza wasn’t there last time we were here. The car park was where we parked last time and Enza is on the opposite side of the road. Also just up near the entrance to the walk to the monkey park was a new visitors centre in the other place we used to park. New cafe and visitors centre. I’m guessing the snow monkey park is getting more visitors than it used to.

Enza specialises in chicken ramen. The chef used to work in a Michelin starred restaurant. So we had burgers. No of course not. We had the special chicken miso ramen and Georgia had the chicken ramen. Brandy had chips. No not chip ramen, just chips, fries. They were actually quite delicious. So was the ramen.

Chicken Ramen - Enza Cafe - picture by Michelle

After the delicious soups the kids had apple and milk soft serve ice cream. Very nice. Michelle and I had iced coffees. Iced lattes with whipped cream. Very strong and delicious. I was starting to think this place can do no wrong. Spoiler alert, it did no wrong. Well except the hand washing water in the bathroom was pretty darn cold.

After the around 5000 yen lunch I walked to the visitors centre souvenir shop to ask if the other car park, the closer one to the monkeys on the other side of the river, was open. We’d have to drive back to Yudanaka to cross the river to drive there. But it would save a 30 minute walk on a muddy, icy track. The woman at the information desk said it re-opens on April first, tomorrow. Apparently we were stuck with the 1.6 km walk. Who’s the April fool now?

I asked the waitress at Enza if I could keep parking the car in their car park. She said okay. I hope she said okay. She might have been saying they were going to have it towed. My Japanese isn’t very good.

We walked the muddy track to Jigokudani snow monkey park. It was cold but there wasn’t much snow. We saw couple of monkeys as soon as we started walking. In fact before we got to the start of the walk. After another couple of hundred metres or so some more monkeys were cavorting on the track. Some idiot gave a monkey a banana so it was running around with the banana skin hanging from its mouth. Here is a tip for visitors. Don’t feed the monkeys. They have signs up and everything. Not just in Japanese. English too. They have pictures up that even Brandon knew said don’t feed the monkeys. But then there were also signs requesting people take their litter with them. Of course there was rubbish just under the signs. Monkeys might throw shit at you but people are worse. Across the river monkeys were climbing all over the ryokan near the park. A couple of naked women were in the ryokan’s onsen taking photos of a monkey that was sitting next to them.

Snow monkey in the foreground, cheeky monkeys in the background

The monkey park entrance kiosk has been renovated. They don’t sell food anymore. You used to be able to get sandwiches and stuff. But now they only sell a few souvenirs. At least they have new indoor toilets. The old ones were pretty primitive. It seems heaps more people visit now than before. It is 800 yen for adults and 400 for the kids to enter.

It is only a short walk from the entrance down a path and across a bridge to the monkey onsen. It had new fences up around the monkey onsen to keep punters a metre or so back from the edge. Only on the lower river side edge though. So you can’t get in and take super close up photos any more. Not that it mattered. In the couple of hours we were there only one monkey got in the water and even then it sat on a rock above the water line, and even then it was exactly 5 minutes before the keepers threw us out because they close at 4 pm. Great timing monkey. Throw your poo at somebody else next time.

Otherwise the monkeys ran around as they do. Wrestled and fought and screamed and jumped and ate. One big one threw a little one around with his mouth. Latching onto the little one’s neck and shaking aggressively. Last time we were here a young monkey pooped at Michelle's feet. The time before that a young monkey dry humped Michelle's leg. This time Michelle got away unscathed. Not Georgia though. One little bugger didn’t like the kids being near and “attacked” Georgia. Baring teeth and charging at her. Later another, or the same one, took a couple of swipes at Georgia’s leg and chased her. It ran around me to get to her. He hit her leg hard a couple of times but didn’t scratch. Maybe it thought she was Michelle? No harm done though. Brandy spent the afternoon asking for toys.

We were hoping for snow but on this day no joy. No snow meant none of the monkeys went into the water. Until almost closing time that is. Just as one monkey went into the water the plugged was pulled. Yes the pool has a literal plug and the pool is drained at the end of the day. Then it started to snow. The snow started dumping down. It was like snowy static on an old TV screen. I wondered why they thought it looked like snow. Now I know. We walked from the park with big feathery fluffy flakes falling fabulously ferociously.

A Haiku

Lovely monkey park
Maybe if it snows a bit
Lots of monkey poo

Goen Cafe (Japanese Dining Goen)

We drove around looking for shops that would sell toys for Brandon. Brandy was like a broken record “I want toys, I want toys”. We really don’t pander to his every whim but sometimes… we’re on holiday and deserve a bit of piece and quiet. But everything was shut. We decided on Goen Cafe (Japanese Dining Goen might be the official name) for dinner so we drove down there and conveniently found a convenience store, a Lawson, across the road from Yudanaka station near Goen, for some supplies and a toy for Brandy. Then to the other side of the station to Goen.

Goen is a cafe cum restaurant that serves mostly traditional Japanese food. Not traditional as dainty exquisite Kaiseki served by formal kimono clad waitresses. Traditional as in all the things you expect in a Japanese restaurant. Sashimi, sushi, shinshu beef, miso soup. The cafe and staff were wonderfully informal and friendly.

The fatty tuna toro sushi was amazing. As was the shinshu beef on rice wrapped in seaweed. We had two serves of that and contemplated a third. We also had uni, sea urchin, on half a lemon. Also great. The sashimi and sushi was better than almost any place in Australia except for restaurants like the sadly now closed Yoshii in Sydney. While I was researching this I’ve discovered that Yoshii has moved to Melbourne. Holy crap. Yoshii is a super nice guy. His new restaurant is at Crown. We’ll have to check that out at some point but back to raving about Goen’s sushi. This sensational sushi and sashimi was from a small cafe in a small country town in rural Japan. You really have to look long and hard to find a dud meal in Japan. The kids loved it all. Georgia especially loved the beef and sushi. All this fine food for less than 7000 yen. For the record Goen also have a small kiosk at the railway station across the road called Goen Deli.

As we were leaving the snow was dumping down. First it was heavy rain so I asked to borrow an umbrella to get the car. Then the snow came down.

We drove back to the Lawson to get some supplies like yoghurt, sake, and snacks for breakfast and the drive to Kanazawa. No, the sake wasn’t for the drive. That was for the evening. 200 yen sake… mmm. What Lawson didn’t have was breakfast cereal. We thought we’d try the 7-11 near our ryokan for some muesli or something. I found corn flakes. I also picked more snacks including pancakes with butter and maple syrup because they were an essential part of my daily diet now. The pancakes are dorayaki - fluffy pancake sandwiches. Usually filled with something sweet like red bean paste but I love the butter and maple syrup filling. Love.

Back to the ryokan. We were going to go to the onsen again but everybody tired. So the kids played for a while and went to bed. I wrote this, and backed up photos and video, and ate pancakes.

Kanazawa tomorrow. A 3 hour drive. A quick prediction. We’ll leave late, then take well over 3 hours when we eventually get going, arrive late and struggle to find somewhere open to eat. This is the law.

Epic Family Road Trip Japan on Youtube

Check out Episode 2 of our Epic Family Road Trip Across Japan.

Many of the pictures on this page are by Michelle. Essentially the good ones. Michelle retains full copyright and they can not be reproduced without permission. To contact her about licensing and using the photos contact her at Michelle Newnan Photography