Today we travelled to the outskirts of Kyoto to see a troop of macaque monkeys endemic to Japan. Also sometimes referred to as "snow monkeys" as they live so far north, a big troop of about 120 monkeys lives in the Arashiyama area of Kyoto, near the Hozu River. Why such a big troop? Because they get fed.
It works like this. After a sweaty climb of about 20 minutes (with a stop in the "Air Conditioner Room" along the way), you come to a viewing platform at 160m (524 ft) that has to-die-for views of Kyoto and the surrounding mountains.
That's good, but as you ascend, you catch sight of roving monkeys. They are really everywhere. And everywhere there are signs not to display water bottles or feed them "outside" or stare directly at them (sign of aggression). "Visiters give Monkey's Feeds only in the Rest House. You can't be brought in Monkey's Feeds" my park ticket helpfully informs me. Instead, you enter a cage for humans, where you purchase cut up apples or peanuts for 100 Yen (less than a dollar) and then you are pemitted to feed the monkeys through the bars. Just like us, monkeys have very facile hands and pluck the food expertly through the mesh. Unlike us, they also easily scamper to the top of the feed house roof and swing from the trees.
Meanwhile human staff in bright green shirts make sure there are no bad interactions between monkeys and humans. One anxious staff member scampered up a steep hillside, just like a monkey. Perhaps to get a group of monkeys off a human path? Not sure, but I was impressed.
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