These are the snow monkeys of Nagano. They are not really monkeys of snow or anything, they are a breed known as the Japanese macaque that is indigenous to many regions in Japan. I have seen them in Osaka, Nagano, Toyama, and please to not exclude any smaller town from this list. They are not city dwellers, but you can find them with a little difficulty in the lesser populated regions. But do note, it does not necessarily mean the inaka. After all the ones I found in Nagano practically live at the onsen.
Speaking of the Nagano monkeys. They are a popular tourist attraction to the area that are found outside of Nagano city ( still in Nagano prefecture) in a place called Yudanaka. There are frequent buses and trains between the two cities and after a small hike (just a bit over a kilometer) to the onsen, the view and the monkeys are all yours to behold. The conditions of the trail will vary. They are called snow monkeys, so I would highly recommend seeing them in the snow scamping about, but the trail there is slippery and moist. Meaning there will be ice or mud puddles so wear so sturdy shoes. I know one lass who had to turn back not 300 meters into the trail due to her less than adequate footwear. Upon arrival, there is a small fee to entrance fee of like 500 or something yen. Though you do not have to pay this if all you want to see are monkeys. You can see those scurrying about and hanging all over the ancient nearby ryokan house. What you pay is to see the monkeys bumming around and chilling out in an outdoor hot spring bath like it is natural behavior. Indeed it is natural behavior for them. They were not trained to do this. They simply started this behavior to beat the cold. Needless to say the threat of humans was not great enough for them to bother with removing themselves from this warmth and continued undeterred until it turned into a tourist attraction, from which point they continued undeterred at a price. There are no fences barring the guest from this site there are no trenches preventing anyone from walking right up to the monkeys. Nothing at all. You can walk right up to the hot spring as close as you please and photograph the monkeys. Though you are not allowed to touch them as you will be strictly admonished by a guard and possibly removed from the park, they are allowed to touch you...not that you might want them too. Honestly the water has poop floating in it. Don't even think about what is on their hands!
Other than the hot spring pool, you can also check out the monkeys on the muddied beach leading to the hot spring river. They congregate on the rocks when they are either tired of human interaction or banished by more alpha monkeys.
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