Planet Forward: Smart people, smart iedas. Online and on TV.

Spa Monkeys

Posted by Janelle Nanos on September 21, 2009
(5)
More »

Monkeys in TubSo, opposable thumbs aside, we have more in common with the Japanese Snow Monkey than previously thought.

Perched high in the Japanese Alps, in the village of Jigokudani, is a tranquil retreat for anyone needing some well-deserved R&R. At the Korakukan Inn, visitors can ease into natural hot springs and let the curing waters do wonders – the benefits of which are no longer strictly limited to the human race.

The Korakukan hot springs, originally for the inn’s paying guests, also have a regular following of local snow monkeys who often trek from the nearby Jigokudani Monkey Park for a delightful warm-water dip. They’re seen here year-round grooming each other or carelessly sprawled out with their arms over the spring’s edge. It’s during the winter months that their spa rendezvous becomes a notorious habit.

[via Spot Cool Stuff Travel]

Keywords: , , , ,
(5)
More »

Related Links

Comments

  1. Kelly
    September 21, 2009, 12:51 pm

    Oh that is the cutest thing ever…
    http://pinacoladakisses.blogspot.com/

  2. Jean - OurExplorer Tour Guide
    September 23, 2009, 4:35 am

    This is really funny…but may not be that attractive to travelers who want to enjoy the same hot spring.
    http://www.OurExplorer.com
    Travel through the eyes of a local

  3. Shane
    September 24, 2009, 1:50 am

    As we can see even monkey spend time going to spa. All of us we should spend some time going in a health spa or a spa to rejuvenate our body.

  4. Caitlin
    September 28, 2009, 1:23 pm

    The way you’ve phrased this makes it sound likes it’s a new thing. The monkeys have been doing this for years. There’s footage of it in David Attenborough’s 1983 Living Planet documentary and it was the opening scene of the 1990s movie Baraka. It’s certainly a striking image though!

  5. Japanese Phrases
    February 15, 2010, 7:42 pm

    The thing I always wonder is, isn’t it a bit cod when they get out?