Jigokudani National Park, Japan

Jigokudani National Park, translated as “Hell’s Valley,” is located in the Nagano prefecture of Japan. This region is centrally located on the island of Honshu and contains Japan’s highest peaks. Water boils and steams through the valley floor, giving the valley its rather unwelcoming name.

Since it is at a relatively high elevation, about 2700 feet, it is covered with snow for around 4 months of the year.
 
While there are onsen throughout the country (Japan does sit on the Pacific’s Ring of Fire, after all), this park is most famous for the hordes of wild Japanese macaques, or snow monkeys, which stroll the area and take a dip in the steaming waters. According to observers, the monkeys started using the hot springs during the 1960s as relief from the cold weather during winter. Pools were eventually constructed for the monkeys, and park employees kept them coming back by feeding them soybeans and nuts. Essentially, it is a national park designed specifically for the monkeys, which have become a national icon.

Though well-known, Jigokudani is not heavily visited. Both its isolated location within the country and limited access via a narrow footpath through dense woods dissuade many would-be visitors.

The area offers something rare in this highly urbanized: a true wilderness. The New York Post’s Eric Talmadge describes it as such: “The scene is rugged. Cliffs jut up from around a snow-fed stream, then taper off into rolling evergreen forests and, farther off, into the frosted peaks of the central Japan Alps.”

Natural scenes like the one described above have provided inspiration for Japanese art for many centuries. One such popular form of art is ukiyo-e, or wooden printmaking. While the focus of ukiyo-e is not exclusively natural landscapes- subjects range from cityscapes to portraiture, the Japanese countryside has been a muse for many ukiyo-e artists. Developed in the 17th century as a form of art for the middle classes, Ukiyo-e translates to “pictures of the floating world” because of its focus on life’s pleasures.
                                                                

To read more about ukiyo-e’s history, go to the Asian Art section on www.all-art.org. The information about ukiyo-e was taken from this website and the chapter was written by Mitsonobu Sato. See below for a resource that allows students to create their own ukiyo-e.
 

Environmental Art Resources

ArtsEdge: Japanese Woodblock Printing (Visual Arts, Social Studies, Foreign Language)

William Finley, Wildlife Photography Pioneer (Visual Arts, American History, Environmental Science, Biology)

Forests and Treescapes with Romey Stuckart (Visual Arts, Biology, Environmental Science)

Photos: Wikipedia posted by Yosemite (Top); www.all-art.org "Ukiyo-e" (Bottom)