Japan´s Jigokudani Monkey Park
Is in Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture. It is part of the Joshin-etsu Kogen National Park, and is located in the valley of the Yokoyu-River, in the Northern part of the prefecture. The name Jigokudani, meaning "Hell´s valley" is due to the steam and boiling water that bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground, surrounded by steep cliffs and formidably cold and hostile forests.
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| Jigokudani(hell valley) hot spring |
In this place snow covers the ground for 4 months a year, the heavy snowfalls, an elevation of 850 metres and being only accesible via a narrow 2 km(1.24 mi) footpath through the forest, keep it uncrowded despite being relatively well-known.
