🐒 MONKEY ATTACK

During our Japan trip in March, we took the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto to explore some of the more rural sites of Japan. It was my first time there, but we were with someone who had been once before.

The train was a lot of fun: super-fast, very nice, and clean. I highly recommend buying tickets in advance, at least a day or two before. Reserved seats are a must, as some trips have full cars and standing for a few hours on the train is no picnic.

That reminds me, bring a snack. Lots of people use the quiet train time to look out the window and enjoy a snack. There are a few food vending machines and small shops at some of the larger stations, but it's probably best to grab something at a local konbini (convenience store) on your way to the station.

Once we got there, we explored the area, primarily on foot. Walking a good deal out away from town. We walked along a river and saw the other side of town. There was some good bird watching in those parts. I'm not a bird person but one of the people in our party was and he was going cuckoo bananas.

Next, we walked a bit around a small town on a hill and ended up finding a beautiful temple tucked up in the hill. The temple was dead quiet and completely empty. We quietly walked around it a bit and admired the beautiful structures.

Afterward, we explored the neighborhood around the temple. Like everywhere else it was very quiet and very few people were around. As we started heading toward the main street, we suddenly heard a loud thud above us.

All looking up at once, we thought there was something on a roof nearby. We continued walking, now keeping an eye on the rooftops.

Then, another loud thud. This time, we saw it clearly on the roof top directly above us: a huge Japanese Macaque monkey... and it was pissed!

Each of us stared and didn't move a muscle. We were half amazed and half terrified. I mentally blocked out if it screamed at us but it was not happy that we were there. We slowly kept walking away from its territory.

As we moved, another lone tourist walked toward us and the angry monkey. We tried to warn him, but before we knew it, the monkey leapt across rooftops, clearly even more agitated. The lone tourist was caught off guard by this display and probably nearly wet his pants.

We, now joined by the newly terrified tourist, cautiously retreated. The monkey seemed to chase us away with a clear 'stay out' message. I don't blame it, honestly; we were in its neighborhood. We were lucky he didn't rip our faces off.

So that's the Monkey Attack story. When you go to Kyoto just be aware that there are areas with aggressive monkeys and keep your ears and eyes open. Better safe than sorry and whatever you do, don't be a jerk ad try and feed them or pet them or piss them off.

Stay safe and enjoy the below pics from that day's adventure.

Mostly Merch