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Come face to face with un-caged wild monkeys

As one of the most famous places of scenic beauty in Japan, Arashiyama in Kyoto has been loved by people since ancient times. On Mt. Iwata (Iwata-yama) in the Arashiyama mountain range, a party started feeding wild Japanese macaques and later opened to general visitors a monkey park with an area of approximately 6,000 m2 in 1957. To maintain a good relationship of safety and trust between the monkeys and people, the park has adopted a strict rule that humans never harm the monkeys, resulting in no monkeys fearing or attacking people today. Currently, 120 wild Japanese macaques live freely in this park, allowing humans to have an appealing experience observing what they are doing, with no hindrance of fences. You can even feed them with the food you buy at a shop in the park, and if you are luckily on time, you can witness the staff feeding them. A visit in spring may provide you with the chance to see newborn baby monkeys. The rest area is designed to overlook the surrounding areas, offering a panoramic view of the city of Kyoto, including Mt. Heiei (Hiei-zan). Why not add this park to your itinerary in the Arashiyama area?