Japanese Monkeys Enjoy Hot Bath at Hokkaido Botanical Garden; Annual Winter Tradition Kicked Off for Facility’s 37 Nihonzaru

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:25 JST, December 2, 2024

Nihonzaru, or Japanese macaques, enjoy a hot water bath at a botanical garden in Hakodate, Hokkaido, on Sunday.

Giving monkeys a hot bath is an annual winter tradition at the Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden, which houses 37 Japanese macaques.

The monkeys soak in the hot water, closing their eyes or grooming each other.

Every December, the facility draws hot water directly from the nearby Yunokawa hot spring into a pool in the monkey zone after adjusting the water temperature to around 41 C.

Visitors can watch the monkeys warming themselves up in the hot bath until early May next year.