What are you looking at? Baby snow monkey checks out tourist as they photograph the animals bathing in Japanese hot springs

• Animals were bathing in hot springs at Jigokudani Monkey Park, Yamanouchi 
• Photographer, Jimmy Ky, 23, from Sydney, Australia, took the video
• Snow monkeys preen and clean each other in the footage captured by Mr Ky 
• A baby monkey also comes up to Mr Ky and taps his knee inquisitively 

This is the adorable moment a tiny snow monkey decided to get a closer look at a tourist filming the animals as they bathed in hot springs in Japan.

Footage filmed at the Jigokudani Monkey Park in Yamanouchi, Japan, by aspiring travel photographer Jimmy Ky, shows the macaques cleaning each other in the hot springs. 

An inquisitive baby monkey gets close to one of the tourists and taps their knee, gazing up at them.

The others cleaning each other in the water seem unfazed as swarms of tourists gather round the springs to take pictures and footage of them. 

In the footage, one of the baby monkeys crawls along the rocks above the water. 

Tourists can be heard laughing as the other two monkeys chill, cleaning each other in the hot springs. 

The baby continues to clamber across the rocks while the others remain in the water.

The tourist is tapped on the knee by the baby monkey, who then continues walking along the rocks. 

The baby snow monkey clamber across the rocks towards the tourist at the Jigokudani Monkey Park in Yamanouchi, Japan

Mr Ky, 23, from Sydney, Australia said: ‘It was a really surreal experience because it was my first time seeing monkeys in real life.

‘My friends opted to go snowboarding at a nearby resort, but I was desperate to venture out and see the snow monkeys instead. 

‘The monkeys were not phased by people around them and were happy to keep cleaning each other in the hot springs.

The others cleaning each other in the water seem unfazed as swarms of tourists gather round the springs to take pictures and footage of them

‘It really put into perspective how amazing animals are and how similar primates are to humans in a lot of ways.’

The Jigokudani Monkey Park offers visitors the experience of seeing wild monkeys bathing in a natural hot spring.

It is inhabited by Japanese macaques, which are also known as snow monkeys.

The park is located in the monkey’s natural habitat, in the forests of the Jigokudani valley.

The Jigokudani Monkey Park offers visitors the experience of seeing wild monkeys bathing in a natural hot spring

It is not far from the onsen, meaning hot spring, towns of Shibu and Yudanaka and has one man-made pool where the monkeys gather.

This pool is a few minutes from the park entrance and visitors will probably see monkeys along the path to the pool.

Japanese macaques live in large social groups and it can be entertaining for visitors to watch their interactions.

There is a live camera beside the monkey pool which can be accessed online and shows the animals moving around

There is a live camera beside the monkey pool which can be accessed online and shows the animals moving around.

The park is open all year round but many visitors come when it has snowed as the monkeys are even more photogenic. 

Throughout the year, monkeys enter the pool but sometimes need some encouragement by park wardens.

It is inhabited by Japanese macaques, which are also known as snow monkeys

The park is located in the monkey’s natural habitat, in the forests of the Jigokudani valley in Yamanouchi

Jigokudani, where the park is located, means ‘hell valley’ which is a common name for Japanese valleys which have volcanic activity. 

Its landscape is not as dramatic as some of Japan’s other jigokudani valleys but does have some steaming hot springs. 

There is a ryokan which is a traditional Japanese inn called Korakukan in the valley.

Visitors pass through the ryokan on the way to the monkey park. 

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