The Warmth Between Us: Lessons from Japan’s Snow Monkeys

Do you need warmth in your life?

On my last blog, many of you were introduced to Punch, a macaque (or snow monkey) born at the Ichikawa Zoo in Japan. After his mother rejected him shortly after birth, members of his own troop also initially rejected him. Fortunately, he quickly found comfort and security in an IKEA plush toy called Oran-Mama.

I have been fascinated by this story and continue to follow it on a regular basis because it reflects a lot about what happens with interpersonal connections in our own social circles. There is always a constant push-and-pull relationship with individuals in our lives - an emotional cycle where one person alternates between pulling the other close with affection and pushing them away through distance, coldness, or conflict.

Snow monkeys, like Punch, engage in a similar behavior. In Japan's snowy mountains, Japanese macaques have a simple but remarkable way of coping with the cold. They gather close, huddling together in clusters known as sarudango. Each monkey moves toward another, and gradually, almost without a plan, a group takes shape. The closer they gather, the more warmth they share. It’s a practical response to winter, but it also offers us a glimpse into something deeper about the nature of living together.

Human beings, too, have always found comfort in coming together. Think of families gathering around a fireplace on a cold winter evening, friends squeezing around a small café table, or neighbors joining hands to help someone through a difficult time. We may not always be trying to keep warm physically, but we are often seeking something just as important: emotional warmth, reassurance, and the feeling that we are not alone. Like the snow monkeys, we draw strength from our proximity to others.

There is another similarity worth considering. No single monkey needs to organize the entire group for a huddle to form. Each animal responds to its surroundings and to the monkeys nearby. Human communities often develop in much the same way. A small act of kindness encourages another. One person reaches out, someone else offers help, and before long, a network of support begins to take shape. What starts with a few simple gestures can grow into something much larger than any one individual could create alone.

Of course, human relationships are more complicated. We sometimes pull away from one another, disagree, or struggle to find our place in a group. And unlike the monkeys, we can sometimes mistake independence for strength, forgetting how much we depend on one another. Yet when life becomes especially cold—through grief, uncertainty, loneliness, or hardship—we often discover the importance of having someone close enough to listen, offer a hand, or simply sit beside us in silence.

Perhaps this is the quiet lesson of sarudango. Staying close does not mean that we must all be alike or always agree. It means recognizing that we share a world in which each of us needs a little warmth from time to time. The monkeys instinctively gather to survive the winter. We humans have the opportunity to do something similar, not only when the weather turns cold, but whenever another person needs understanding, compassion, or a place to belong.

In the end, we can create warmth together. Sometimes it begins with nothing more than moving a little closer.

Something I'd like to share with you...

I painted another darling picture of Punch. This one is painted on a wood block, using acrylic paints. He has grown into an adolescent Macaque Monkey and is ready to face the challenges coming his way!

I'm in love with this Punch picture! Do you like it? Should I paint more?

Coming soon!

It's almost time for my sixteenth year of donating my art sales to the animal rescue program at Ginger's Pet Rescue! I want to help abused animals like MoMo get a second chance in life. My dog, MoMo was rescued from a Koren Dog Meat Market. She was a scared adolescent dog with scars of trauma and abuse when she came to my home five years ago. She appreciates the safety and love she receives from us every day of her new life.

My 2027 calendars plus new paintings will be arriving soon! 

Please keep an eye out for my next email.