Japan - Nagano

Can anyone say ‘Snow Monkeys?’ OK, Snow Monkeys without the snow, but still…I thought we might be lucky to see one or two monkeys, but, who knew they are EVERYWHERE! We took the bullet train to Nagano today with the main purpose to see snow monkeys. These monkeys are more at home in the tropics, but somehow they have found a home in the mountains around Nagano. Nagano is north of Tokyo and about 1.5 hours away on the bullet train. There is a Snow Monkey Park dedicated to the monkeys. It is much cooler in this region and during the winters, it is a struggle to survive. But, these monkeys have found a special oasis with natural hot springs to endure the brutal cold…Since this is basically Spring, there were many baby monkeys roaming around and learning their environment. What a treat to see! After the highlight of the monkeys, we went to a nearby town to have lunch and a little sake tasting to boot. Then  on to a temple to view the ‘Phoenix with 8 Eyes’ - a 12 wooden paneled painting from crushed precious stones to depict a Phoenix surrounded by talismans of good fortune - that always has its eye on you…pack night…