Photo by pierre matile on Pexels
🇯🇵 Japan · Nagano Prefecture, Joshinetsu Kogen
Photo by pierre matile on Pexels
🇯🇵 Japan · Nagano Prefecture, Joshinetsu Kogen
♨ Temperature
43°C
⛰ Altitude
850 m
⚗ pH
7.6
💧 TDS
580 mg/L
🌊 Flow rate
25 L/s
📅 Established
19th century
✓ Verified on 2026-07-22
Jigokudani, meaning 'Hell's Valley', is a rugged alpine spring complex in the Joshinetsu Highlands National Park. The site is globally famous for its population of Japanese macaques (snow monkeys) who descend from the mountains in winter to bathe in the warm spring pools — a behaviour first observed in 1963. The mildly bicarbonated sodium-sulphate water flows freely from volcanic bedrock and has been used for human bathing in the adjacent Shibu Onsen village for centuries.
| Bicarbonate | 320 mg/L |
| Sodium Sulphate | 180 mg/L |
| Calcium | 62 mg/L |
| Magnesium | 28 mg/L |
Jigokudani sits within the Joshinetsu Kogen National Park, one of Japan's most protected natural areas. The Shibu Onsen village adjacent to the site has operated since the 8th century and is one of Japan's best-preserved historic hot spring towns, with nine public bathhouses (sotoyu) available to guests. The area's onsen culture is registered as a Japanese Cultural Landscape.
The snow monkey bathing behaviour — first observed in 1963 when a young macaque entered the thermal pool and others gradually followed — is one of the most studied examples of cultural learning in non-human primates. It has become an iconic image of Japan worldwide. The coexistence of wildlife and thermal bathing at Jigokudani represents a uniquely Japanese relationship between humans, animals, and the natural environment.
Jigokudani Yaen-koen operates under a strict no-feeding policy and maintains natural buffers between human visitors and the macaque population. The park monitors troop numbers and health annually. The thermal spring system is managed to prevent over-extraction by the numerous ryokan along the Yokoyu River, with flow rates monitored by the local onsen cooperative.
Phone+81 269 33 4379
Websitejigokudani-yaenkoen.co.jp
AddressYamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano, Japan