[START FROM NAGANO CITY] Private Snow Monkey Tour

Home to the world-famous Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani and host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, Nagano is a favorite destination for international visitors. Known for its high mountain peaks and abundant snow, ubiquitous hot springs and delicious food, bountiful farmlands and wild nature, Central Japan is a region with so much to offer!

Highlights

• Starting from Nagano Station or any Nagano City Hotel, we will pick your party up in our private vehicle to take you on your private tour and drop you off in the Nagano City area or any of Nagano's 5 Main Ski Resorts!
• Visit the famous Jigokudani Monkey Park and learn all about what makes the resident monkeys so unique.
• Enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant and experience Nagano’s renowned food culture.
• Stroll the charming streets of the historic town of Obuse, and enjoy viewing its remaining Edo period buildings.
• Explore Zenkoji, one of Japan’s oldest and most important Buddhist temples, and home to the first known Buddhist statue to be brought to Japan.
• Try ‘sake’ with a tasting and learning experience all led by your guide (non-alcoholic options also available).

This tour offers amazing value for those keen skiers wanting to hop between ski resorts for their Nagano ski vacations, while seeing some of the best of what Nagano has to offer along the way!

Review

What’s typically included?

• Although this particular page pertains to a start from Nagano City, we also offer this one-day private tour starting from any of Nagano's 5 Main Ski Resorts (Nozawa Onsen, Madarao, Hakuba, Shiga Kogen, and Myoko Kogen) with drop-off in Nagano City or any of Nagano's 5 Main Ski Resorts

A one-day tour (typically) includes:

• Private vehicle/driver for the duration of the tour
• Private English-speaking guide for the duration of the tour
• Entrance to the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park
• Lunch 

A private tour provides a different atmosphere from offered group tours, as you can truly enjoy this intimate time with your party to enjoy these amazing locations with no interruptions or unexpected happenings.

The tour cost is calculated per person (aged of 6 years and over) with infants (under 6 years of age) included free of charge. Infants are included free of charge and therefore do not receive lunch (if required, please order directly to the restaurant according to your needs).

Depending on your pick-up and drop-off location, the price will change to account for differences in distance between tour locations. Please understand this when choosing your tour pick-up and drop-off points in the order window.

Tour Description

Once your tour begins, you will board our private tour vehicle and begin your journey to the Snow Monkey Park, located in the onsen town Yudanaka at the foot of the mountains. Your guide will take you along the forest trail which leads to the park and into Jigokudani - rather dramatically translating to 'Hell's Valley'. Home to the only troop of monkeys in the entire world known to bathe in hot springs, there are no barriers separating you from the wild monkeys, making this a unique and memorable experience.

Your guide will introduce these truly curious creatures and provide you time to enjoy the unique experience of observing them in close proximity. Make sure to bring your camera as you`re going to need it!

Your guide will then accompany you back along the trail to nearby Hotarutei for a well-deserved lunch and you will enjoy "nabe," meaning "hot pot" in Japanese. Nabe is a classic winter food in Japan and a perfect way to warm up on a cold winter day. To suit individual preferences, you may choose between beef, seafood, or vegetarian nabe. In addition, your meal will include assorted tempura, miso soup, sushi, and tea/coffee. This beautifully prepared, filling lunch is designed to match the season and highlight the best of Nagano's renowned food culture.

Please note, the exact contents and presentation of the lunch may differ depending on the season.

Dining at Hotarutei is an experience in itself, this 170+ year-old Japanese mansion has been beautifully renovated into a restaurant. The 2-story traditional building has been refurbished and renovated in such a way as to keep the original structure with its massive beams and pillars intact. Modern amenities such as heated floors, atmospheric lighting, and comfortable tables and chairs have also been added. 

Well-fed and content, it's time to head-out of Yudanaka to explore the picturesque town of Obuse, and its remaining Edo-style buildings. Known for its historic character, chestnut delicacies and sake breweries, walking the streets of Obuse provides an incredible opportunity to sample some local specialties and appreciate the local culture of Nagano and Japan as a whole in this stroll through time.

After spending some time in Obuse, you will once more board the private vehicle bound for Zenkoji Temple. As a registered National Treasure, the temple is the most important cultural site in Nagano and one of the oldest and most important Buddhist temples in the entire country! A place of true historic importance, full of legends and myths, you will be guided around the temple before your guide will give you the opportunity to explore the surrounding precinct of smaller temples, shops, and food by yourself.

As Japan’s second largest producer of sake, Nagano is synonymous with sake and no visit to the region is complete without delving into Japan’s most famous beverage. Your guide with lead your party to a local producer of sake, and introduce how to differentiate one brew from another as you taste a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The information provided by your guide will allow you to continue to enjoy sake in a meaningful way even after the tour concludes.

After sake tasting concludes, the guide will say their goodbyes as you board the bus to your selected drop-off location. The ride back is the perfect time to sit back, relax, and look through all those monkey photos before you finally arrive safe and sound at your destination!

Notes

Included

• Private vehicle with driver
• Snow Monkey Park entrance fee
• Lunch (vegetarian options are available)
• Guided tour at Zenkoji, 'sake'-tasting, Obuse, and at the monkey park
• English-speaking guide

Excluded

• Additional food, snacks & drinks
• Optional entrance fee to the inner sanctuary of Zenkoji Temple
• Shinkansen / 'Bullet Train' tickets
• Accommodation

Tour Availability Disclaimer

All listed events, activities, and experiences are subject to availability. Please note that while certain tour options may appear bookable through our platforms, this does not guarantee that every experience can be carried out as scheduled in the tour itinerary. Many activities require direct confirmation with our partner venues, and availability may vary based on the date and other factors. Should any part of your ordered itinerary require adjustment or deviation from the original schedule, or if a specific experience is unavailable, we will contact you promptly to discuss suitable alternatives or amendments.

Other Information

• There will be a significant amount of walking required (1.6 km one way) to get to and from the Snow Monkey Park, along an unsealed forest trail so please wear appropriate shoes/boots.
• This tour is not wheelchair accessible and may not be suitable for mobility-impaired travellers. Should you have any concerns about your ability to join the tour, please contact us to discuss prior to booking.
• This tour uses different forms of transport. Tours may be conducted via van or microbus depending on the season and size of the group.
• From mid-December until early-April the trail and park are likely to be affected by snow and ice. Please ensure that you are wearing suitable shoes/boots and warm clothing. If required, rental boots are available close to the monkey park and crampons (metal spikes that attach underneath your shoes/boots) can also be purchased. From mid-December until early-March please wear suitable clothing for temperatures potentially below 0°C (and as low as -10°C).
• During the winter it is very common to see the monkeys enjoying the hot spring. However, the monkeys are wild animals and there is no guarantee that they will be in the bath, especially between spring and autumn.
• There are a few days in the year that the monkeys might not come down to the park.
• This tour includes lunch at Hotarutei. On rare occasions it may not be possible to use this restaurant in which case we would switch to another, comparable location. Please note that the restaurant may change their menu from time-to-time and the tour lunch may be different to images shown on this page.
• This tour includes 'sake' tasting in Nagano City. The venue can change depending on the time of year. You must be a minimum of 20 years of age to consume alcohol on the tour.
• Infants (0-5) are free of charge. An infant lunch is not included, and the order will be made directly to the restaurant according to your needs. We also cannot guarantee that a seat on the tour transport will be available for infants, and they may be required to sit in the lap of an adult, especially during winter i.e. from December to March.

Why choose us?

Awarded a 2022 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award for our 1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake Tour – recognised as one of the Top 10 Experiences in Japan – we have the local knowledge and experience to help you get the most out of your time in Japan.

We want all of our guests have the best possible time in Nagano, so good, that we hope you’ll come back again! We love our home region and want you to love it to… we’d love to see you here in Nagano!