Japanese macaque with one macaque recorded living in central Tokyo for several months. The Japanese macaque (snow monkey) has featured prominently in the religion, folklore, and art of Japan, as well as in proverbs and idiomatic expressions in the Japanese language. In Shinto belief, mythical beasts known as "raijū" sometimes appeared as monkeys and kept Raijin, the god of lightning, company. The "three wise monkeys", which warn people to "see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil", are carved in relief over the door of the famous Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō. The Japanese macaque is a feature of several fairy
Japanese macaque Japanese macaque is very familiar in Japan, so when Japanese people simply say "saru", they usually have in mind the Japanese macaque. The Japanese macaque is sexually dimorphic. Males weigh on average , while females average . Macaques from colder areas tend to weigh more than ones from warmer areas. Male average height is and female average height is . Their brain size is about . Japanese macaques have short stumps for tails that average in males and in females. The macaque has a pinkish face and posterior. The rest of its body is covered in brown or greyish hair.