Monkeys Getting Toasty at the Japan Monkey Centre, Enjoying Annual Winter Solstice Event in Inuyama, Aichi Pref.

Yakushima macaques gather around a specially prepared fire to warm themselves at the Japan Monkey Centre in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, on Wednesday. The traditional winter event was shown to the press before it opens to the public on the winter solstice on Monday. The annual event originated in 1959 during the Isewan typhoon, when staff burned driftwood for warmth and a baby monkey came close. Apart from the winter solstice and the first three days of the New Year, the special fire is scheduled to be prepared on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays until Jan. 31.