Non-human Japanese Culture

        In spite of the highly urbanized, densely populated, and fast-paced, modern lifestyles of the Japanese, there also exists a long tradition of reverence for nature and a deep regard for animals.  Some of the most important aspects of Japanese culture, spirituality, and national identity are the natural environment and wildlife.

Japanese Snow Monkeys, Macaca fuscata

Nihonzaru

     Well adapted to the cold, Japanese Macaques are the most northern living non-human primate.  The more northern the range of the monkeys inhabit, the thicker the fur of the monkey gets.  With the help of this thick fur and volcanic thermal pools, the "snow monkeys" of the Northern most tip of Honshu survive temperatures below 5 degrees Fahrenheit.      

Japanese Macaques first began utilizing the hot springs in 1963.  It is said that one female ventured into the pools to retrieve some soybeans that had been tossed in, and was quite pleased by the warmth.  Others were soon to follow, the younger ones first while the older monkeys were a bit more reluctant to test the waters.

Monkeys hold a special place in Japanese religion and folklore. In native Shintoism monkeys are seen as the In the native religion of Shintoism, monkeys are viewed as messengers of mountain gods and rivers.  Legends of monkeys spread wildly with the influx of Buddhism and Chinese culture, in which monkeys also had an important place.  The images of monkeys have often been used for warding off evil.  The famous "hear, speak, and see no evil" monkeys may have originated at Toshogu Shrine in Nikko.

The snow monkeys have learned a variety of cultural aspects from one another in addition to relaxing in the hot springs, such as rolling snowballs, playing with stones as a child would play with blocks, and washing their food.  These monkeys are the only other animal known to wash their food besides raccoons and humans.  Japanese macaques are opportunistic omnivores, changing their diet with the season.  They eat anything from fruits and insects in the summer, to herbs and bark in the winter.

In another area of Japan (Kagoshima), one Japanese monkey started washing food before eating it. She figured out that she could get the sand off her sweet potato by dipping it in the water (rather than brushing it off with her hands), and this was also learned and caught on with the rest of the troop.  Even better, they figured out that washing their potatos in the sea water gave an added benefit of a salty taste with their potatos.  The same female monkey also started doing this with wheat, as the sand would sink and the wheat would float, she and soon the rest of the troop, would quickly skim off the floating grains of wheat.

Visit the Snow Monkey Park (Jigodudani Yaen Kōen) in Nagano! 

For more detailed information, visit Primate Factsheets: Japanese macaque

Spy on the Japanese Snow Monkeys with this Live Web Cam :  perverts

Also... check out the Japanese Red-Crowned Crane: