The Monkey Park Iwatayama is an open-air mountainside nature park where around a 100 nihon-zaru (日本猿, Japanese Macaque) roam free. These creatures are native to Japan, and are most famous for those photos where they would sit inside the onsen (温泉, Hot Spring) in Nagano Prefecture (長野県, Nagano-ken). In this park, the monkeys roam free and you can also get the opportunity to feed them from the safety of a metal mesh inside a hut.
There’s also a great view from the park that overlooks the Arashiyama area, and you can also just watch the monkeys frolic in the open area at the top of the park. While the monkeys are generally friendly, visitors are warned to not stare into the monkey’s eyes, feed them outside the designated area, or touch them (generally standard stuff when it comes to interacting with wild animals).
While one might think that this attraction is rather touristy, it still makes for an interesting experience with a great view, and it is also more accessible and less touristy than the Snow Monkey Onsen in Nagano (which is small, inaccessible, and contains man-made pools for the monkeys to soak in). Do note, however, that since the monkey park is located atop a hill, there is quite a bit of climbing to get up to the top.
