We had purchased a bottle of sparkling apple cider- made locally from apples grown in Nagano- to celebrate and ring in the new year! Here is what my company looked like at about midnight. So I too went to bed. 
We slept in a bit because the baby had a rough night with a very stuffy nose. Poor babe couldn't breathe at all. But when we finally dressed and headed out for the day there was a performance in the lobby of our hotel.
We started out day with an early lunch in this restaurant. Neither one of us were expecting a great meal, just fun ambience, but we got both. I had a bunless terryaki burger with warm potatoe mustard salad. And Bill had a loaded hot dog with herbed fries. Both were really tasty.
After eating in a double decker bus, we decided to try to buy on and convert it into a play yard complete with a slide, climbing wall and fireman's pole.
Remember when I said I was unsure about how Nagano hosted the Olympics. Here is a picture of their subway. People Stand inside the passageway area to take the tickets by hand as they enter and exit the subway train area. It is not automatic. Very outdated.
We took the express train 45mins out of the city to visit the Snow Monkey park. We passed a temple coverd in snow. So pretty.
Then we began our trek through the woods to see the monkeys.
It was not a tough walk, but defenatly a little slippery. As we approached the river crossing area the monkeys were all around. Just as we arrived, we ran into one of Bill's NJS colleagues Rachel. She is stationed in Hawaii and was visiting Japan for New Years. So random.
Here they are sitting in the warm hot spring.
This little guy had such an expressive face. He kept nodding off. He was really relaxed and not concerned with the people around him.
Here is a mam and he baby. We were so close. I wanted to touch them. Their fur looked so soft like a rabbits fur.
Amazingly as they got out of the hot spring, their fur would dry cry quickly.
Here is another mama and baby cuddling.
I wanted to get a picture with the monkeys but was nervous to get to close. I was concerned they could smell food on me since I am a food source for Theo.
I don't have any pictures on my phone of the events I am about to describe, but Bill has them on his camera.
So Bill and I stopped in the little hut to get warm and pull Theo out and put him in his snow suit. We wanted some pictures with him out of the carrier. So we did just that an set out to get some family pictures with monkeys. I was very aware of the monkeys and how close They were to my baby.
At one point, Bill wanted to take a picture with two monkeys behind us, he was saying stop watching the monkeys and look at the camera, but it was against my instinct to turn my back on a wild animal. We were perfectly safe an nothing happened. We got all the pictures we wanted. We headed back to the hut. As we crossed the river area, a monkey walked along side me on the hand rail. So I called to Bill, turned to be next to the monkey so we could get a photo. Never could I predict what was to happen next, the little monkey reached out and took hold of my collar to my coat. I was in shock, the monkey used his grip to pull himself up to a standing position. I was convinced the monkey was going to climb up my arm. Bill is snapping photos. They are humorous. I was so scared that the little primemate was going to latch onto me like I was holding Theo. But he let go and climbed down. I think the monkey was in just as startled as me when he realized I was a human. In the photos you will see, he reached out to me with out looking.
Quite the experience. Bill and I bundled the baby back up into my coat and carrier and headed out of the forest. See how pretty it was. It was snowing on is at this point. I loved it.
Bill had packed the apple wine and we drank it on our way out of the forest. It was perfectly chilled. We popped the bottle at 3pm or midnight Texas time!
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