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Podcast: レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast
Episode: Japan’s hot spring bathing macaques draw record crowds, raising concern for their welfare
Description: Each winter, hundreds of thousands of tourists go to see the spectacle of Japan’s snow monkeys bathing in the hot springs of Jigokudani Park in Nagano.
Temperatures in the Japanese Alps plunge to around minus 20 and the macaques rely on the natural springs to survive the cold. With increasing visitor numbers to Japan, the monkeys have become the region's biggest attraction which is raising concern for their welfare.
Staff here say the number of visitors to Jigokudani Park last year reached 257,000, the highest since it opened in 1964. The majority—60%—are from overseas.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO...