Monkey park?
 

I know that there are several monkey parks in japan, but it seems that the best one is in Yamanouchi. I know it's a LOOONG day trip, but I'm still considering it because I love monkeys. Has anyone done the trip from Tokyo in June? Is this a crazy/dumb idea? Is there an alternate monkey park near Tokyo or Kyoto that is good and would make more sense? Thanks for any info!

The best one I have seen is Monkey Mountain in West Kyoto. It is a good hike (really sucks in August, but June should be fine) to the top of the hill. A really unique experience (and inexpensive, too).

Iwatayama Monkey Park in Arashiyama, Kyoto. Everyone I have taken there found it to be a favorite memory as you are walking among the monkeys.

That is great! We don't mind a hike at all. Does that monkey park have the hot springs that people and monkeys go into like in Yamanouchi? I'm guessing not, but thought I'd ask anyway.

Thanks again, MMM. You've really helped us a lot!

[I think I misread your response - is Monkey Mountain the same as Iwatayama Monkey Park or are they two different parks?]

Sorry...same place, but definitely not a whole day affair. No hot springs, though.

No, that's perfect. We get to see the monkeys and don't have to take an entire day to do it. Can't wait!

Monkeys are wild animals here in Japan. They have a knack of upsetting farmers by munching on the crops and causing a fair bit of destruction.

You can find monkeys all over the place here. In Chiba (close to Tokyo) it is really easy to find them in the more rural places. They tend to be quite shy due to the local farmers habits of scaring them away.

As with most wild animal observation, it takes a while to get your eye in, but when you do, you should see them all over the place.