Habitat selection has a significant influence on animals' fitness, and has been well studied in various ungulates. A trade-off between the access to forage and to shelter often occurs for ungulates' habitat selections, which vary temporally. However, habitat selections for primitive ungulates with solitary and sedentary, such as the Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus), are poorly known. We examined habitat selection at the within-home range scale of the Japanese serow in a montane forest of Mt. Asama, central Japan, at two temporal scales, season and time of day (day or night), by radio-tracking. Serows selected shrub-rich habitats with steep slopes and avoided shrub-poor habitats with gentle slopes, and their selection showed little variation according to season. Shrub-rich habitats with steep slopes provide both abundant food and shelter against potential danger, which suggests that it is an adequate habitat for serows throughout the year. The habitat selection of serows had few differences according to time of day, which suggests that shrub-rich habitats with steep slopes are suitable for both feeding and resting (i.e., all times of day). Our results suggest that trade-offs between the access to forage and to shelter may be less likely to occur for serow's habitat selection, unlike other ungulates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]