Living with the T1 Troop: Macaques in Yugawara
Yugawara's remaining macaque troop is small, persistent and deeply entangled with life at the edge of town. Here is what residents and visitors should know.
Wildlife
Monkeys in Yugawara
The T1 troop moves between Yugawara's wooded hills, gardens, orchards and residential streets. For the people living along its routes, monkeys are part of everyday life.
Recent sightings
- Miyakami and Miyashita A Nippon TV crew met the troop in the street while reporting; residents said the monkeys no longer run when approached.
- Vacant houses in town FNN reported the two lead monkeys wearing GPS collars and the troop roosting at night in empty houses.
- Onsen district TV Asahi's Morning Show filmed the troop in town while asking why it cannot all be captured.
Life alongside them
One troop across the town boundary
Yugawara's Japanese macaques belong to the T1 troop, the only troop in Kanagawa's Seishō regional population. Its range includes Yugawara and Manazuru and extends toward Izumi in Atami, across the Chitose River. The onsen district, Miyakami, Miyashita and Shirohori are among the places where the troop comes into town.
If you meet a monkey
Keep your distance, keep food out of sight and never feed them. Avoid eye contact and move away calmly without running or blocking their escape. At an inn or a home, lock sliding doors and screens and keep food away from open windows. Our practical guide below covers encounters on the street and indoors.
The people on the other side of the wall
A monkey on a roof can be a visitor's first glimpse of local wildlife. For a neighbour, it can mean another damaged crop or a door that needs locking. The stories below follow the troop, the long history of chasing it away, the tools available to residents, and Masato's view of life on the land.
Stories
Where You Might Meet Yugawara's Monkeys, and What to Do
Yugawara's only troop of monkeys lives in town, mostly around the onsen district, Miyakami, Miyashita, and Shirohori. Here is where and when they turn up, and what to do on the street, at your inn, and at home.
Twenty Years of Chasing Monkeys in Yugawara
Since 2004 Yugawara has sent people out to chase macaques off its streets: air guns, rubber bullets, a town team, and now fireworks, GPS collars, and a cooperation team its councillor describes as volunteers.
Firecrackers from the Town
Yugawara gives residents firecrackers and rocket fireworks on request, hands trained farmers animal-repellent fireworks and metre-long sticks, and takes reports of damage at the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Division.
Masato, the Monkeys, and the Yugawara Behind the Brochures
A Yomiuri TV report on Yugawara's monkey problem, and why the people who work the land belong in the story.
Eat and stop by nearby
Eat
- Genkan Terrace0.3 km · Onsen district
- Museum Café and Garden0.4 km · Onsen district
- Beer Stand Kadoya0.4 km · Onsen district
Stop by
- Man'yō Park0.0 km · Onsen district
- Sunday morning market0.3 km · Onsen district
- Yugawara Museum of Art0.4 km · Onsen district