Pixiq

Taking snow monkeys in Japan is one of my favorite winter wildlife shoots; although you have to be lucky to get it cold enough so the snow does not melt as soon as it lands on the monkeys' heads. These Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) occur in many parts of Japan, but the troop that lives year round in a thermal valley near Nagano (where the 1998 winter Olympics were staged) are affectionately known as snow monkeys.

Getting to Jigokudani (Hell's Valley) in winter is quite tortuous on public transport. For my first winter trip I had a lovely Japanese guide who ushered me from my hotel in Tokyo on and off two trains and arranged for a jeep from the local tourist office to meet us. When we arrived at the start of the snow-covered trail, they loaded my gear onto a sled and pulled it all the way through the forest to the Ryokan – a traditional Japanese Inn – where you sleep on futons on the floor. This is not the cheapest place to stay, but it is close to the monkeys and saves trekking back and forth daily through the forest.

Ever since snow monkeys were featured in Life magazine in 1970, bathing in their own onsen or hot tub, it has become one of those 'must see before I die' quests. The natural thermal water in the valley feed both indoor and outdoor hot baths for the tourists. Back in the 1950's, after a female monkey hopped into the outdoor bath, it was decided one should be built further away for the monkeys own use.

Depending on their age, the monkeys enter the pool in different ways. Youngsters rush up to the edge, invariably doing a honey pot dive splashing all around them before completely submerging; whereas older female moneys climb in backwards until their feet rest on the bottom, so their head hair is kept dry. They then either wade out to join other monkeys, where they may mutually groom, or move to their favorite spot, ending up draping their arms over the edge of the pool. There is a wide shot of monkeys relaxing in their pool in my first PIXIQ post.

The most useful gear to take is a wide zoom and a telephoto zoom up to at least 300mm.  I have also used my 200-400mm f/4 Nikkor zoom there, but not when shooting on the hoof. A slow shutter speed is fun for showing water swirling out as a monkey shakes its head and for portraying falling snow. Using a long lens on a tripod can be useful to pan round to take different monkeys, but don't ever walk away from the tripod. I did this once (without a camera on it) and an inquisitive youngster soon worked out how to undo the locking screw on the Benbo and was about to run off with it. Somehow, I managed to divert his attention so he dropped it. Avoid staring directly at the monkeys, as this can be interpreted as a form of aggression. A waterproof camera/lens cover is essential, as are hand warmers and good Arctic boots. Good walking crampons also make walking on ice less risky.

 When the weather is cold and windy, most of the monkeys retire into the forest, but during several days, it should be possible to get shots of the following:

• Bathing in pool
• Shaking off water when emerge
• Grooming in pool
• Drinking from edge of pool
• Mother suckling baby
• Mothers carrying baby on their back through the snow
• Feeding on grain thrown onto snow by the researchers
• Crossing the river
• Baby monkeys playing with one another
• Babies sucking ice / snow like an ice lolly
• Babies playing with a snowball
• Monkeys trudging along a path in deep snow
• Stripping bark off trees to feed
• Facial expressions

On my way to Japan one winter I had been reading some haiku (Japanese brief verses that often relate to nature) and after I returned home, I was inspired to write my own: 

swirling snow

hot pool macaques

ephemeral hats

There is a live webcam at Jigokudani. To find out more about these monkeys and see shots in different seasons, see my book Snow Monkeys.

Snow Monkeys (Wildlife Monographs)