In Japan’s Kamikochi Valley live monkeys unlike any other primate – the Japanese macaque. Known as the snow monkey, together these remarkable and adaptable creatures survive brutal winters and food-scarce summers. Each troop has its own food culture, passing knowledge through generations and adding new ideas when young males join the group.
As winter falls, they nibble on bark, roots, and bamboo – and sometimes even find insect larvae in rivers or seaweed along the coast. Summer turns the vegetation bitter and tough, forcing the macaques to travel for two months into the mountains, where a seasonal paradise of alpine fruits and pinecones awaits. The film captures not only their survival strategies in one of the planet's most unforgiving habitats but also their emotional connections - a testament to their ingenuity, strength, and spirit.
