1-Day Tour: Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake in Nagano

Take in some of the highlights of Nagano on this engaging tour starting with a visit to Zenkoji – one of the oldest and most important Buddhist temples in Japan – followed by sake-tasting and lunch at a nearby restaurant. It’s then time to head to the Snow Monkey Park and its world-famous hot spring-bathing monkeys! Led by a locally-based English-speaking guide, this tour is a great way to see the best that Nagano has to offer*.

*Named one of Japan’s Top 10 travel experiences by TripAdvisor for 2022!

NOTE FOR THOSE JOINING FROM NAGANO STATION: Once the 09:35 timeslot is fully booked out for the standard Nagano Station pickup option at 09:35, we will potentially open an additional timeslot to join the tour from Nagano Station at 09:00 so please double check your booking timeslot when joining from Nagano Station, as it may be this earlier 09:00 start.

Are you looking for a group tour starting from Nozawa Onsen? For our guests staying in Nozawa Onsen, please check HERE for information about a group tour option that departs directly from Nozawa (Winter only)!

Highlights

• Visit the famous Jigokudani Monkey Park and learn all about what makes the resident monkeys so unique
• 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.
• Enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant and experience Nagano’s renowned food culture
• Try ‘sake’ with a tasting and learning experience all led by your guide (non-alcoholic option also available)

Want to join this tour from Tokyo? It’s easy to do! Scroll to the bottom for our FAQs including train services that you can use to join the tour!

Want to join this tour from Hakuba? In winter, we offer pick-up and drop-off at two points in Hakuba – see below for details.

Description

The tour begins at Nagano Station at 09:35 where your guide will meet you and once all guests have arrived, head to Zenkoji Temple – please note, in winter we also offer pick-up in Hakuba (see below for details). 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 (time permitting) your guide will give you the opportunity to explore the surrounding precinct of smaller temples, shops, and food by yourself.

Home to a huge number of breweries, Nagano is synonymous with sake and no visit to the region is complete without delving into Japan’s most famous beverage. Your guide will treat you to tasting before, introducing you to the complex world of sake before sitting down to an early lunch! From delicious and warming beef, chicken, or vegetarian hot pot in the winter months, to mixed sushi plates and Nagano-style chicken or seasonal grilled vegetables through spring to autumn, meals are designed to match the season and highlight the best of Nagano’s renowned food culture.

After a fulfilling lunch, it’s time to head-out of Nagano City, as you are transported to the Snow Monkey Park. 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 back along the trail and soon have you heading back toward Nagano, the perfect time to sit back, relax, and look through all those monkey photos before the tour returns to Nagano Station and concludes at 17:35 and between 18:30 to 18:45 for guests joining from Hakuba ‐ winter only.

MEETUP POINTS

This tour operates to and from Nagano Station – with the option of pickup at Hotel Kokusai 21 and Patio Daimon – throughout the year with the option of joining from Hakuba only in winter, from December to March (see below for details):

1 / HOTEL KOKUSAI 21 @ 09:10 — All Year Round

Please wait at the entrance of the hotel lobby. This is a group tour with multiple pickup points to follow. Please ensure you are at the hotel entrance prior to the meeting time – as the guide will not have time to wait or have reception call you room – and look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag. The tour cannot wait and will need to depart on-time.

2  /  NAGANO STATION @ 09:35 — MAIN MEETUP POINT — All Year Round

The meetup point is inside the station, in front of the Information Board directly across from the Shinkansen ticket gates. Be sure to look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag and ensure you are there prior to the meetup time as the tour will need to depart by 09:40.

3  /  PATIO DAIMON / ZENKOJI AREA @ 09:55 —  All Year Round

The meetup point is outside of the restaurant called ‘Monzen Terrace Enya’. Please stand on the wooden decking / outdoor seating area directly in front of the restaurant and be sure to look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag. Please also ensure you are there prior to the meetup time as the tour will need to depart by 10:00.

The following two meetup points in Hakuba are only available in winter from December to March. Please note, when operating in winter the Hakuba pick-ups are before the pick-ups in Nagano and drop-off will be later:

1  / HAKUBA TOKYU HOTEL, WADANO @ 07:40 — Winter Only

Please wait at the entrance of the hotel lobby. This is a group tour with multiple pickup points to follow. Please ensure you are at the hotel entrance prior to the meeting time and look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag. The tour cannot wait and will need to depart on-time.

2  /  HAKUBA HAPPO BUS TERMINAL @ 07:55 — Winter Only

Please wait inside the bus terminal and stay warm. Several tours operate from the bus terminal be sure to look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag and confirm that you’re joining the correct tour. Please ensure you are at the terminal before the meeting time. The tour cannot wait and will need to depart on-time.

*For guests who joined the tour in Hakuba, the bus will then shuttle you back to the Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal where your day is scheduled to conclude around 18:30. Due to weather and road conditions in winter, we cannot guarantee the end time of tours. For guests who want to book onward travel including train tickets during winter, please refer to ‘Other Information’ below for our recommendations.

NOTES

Included

• Transportation fee from Nagano to the Snow Monkey Park and between activities / attractions
• Snow Monkey Park entrance fee
• Lunch (vegetarian options are available)
• Guided tour at Zenkoji, ‘sake’-tasting 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

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 can be conducted by microbus, larger coach or train 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 common to see the monkeys enjoying the hot spring however from spring up to autumn there will be times where the monkeys play or eat in the water, however please note that the monkeys are wild animals and there is no guarantee that there will be monkeys in the bath.
• There are a few days in the year that the monkeys might not come down to the park.
• *Winter only* Guests in Hakuba can join this tour using our shuttle service from / to Hakuba Tokyu Hotel in Wadano, Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal and Hakuba Base Camp in Echoland. This service is only available from 2021/12/15 until 2022/03/31 and may not be available every day between those dates. We apologize that bookings from / to Hakuba cannot be accepted outside of these dates. When using this shuttle service please note that your guide will join and depart the tour at Nagano Station.
• *Winter only* This tour is scheduled to conclude at Nagano Station by 17:30 (and by 18:45 for guests joining from Hakuba in winter). However, due to weather and road conditions in winter we cannot guarantee the end time. For guests booking shinkansen tickets to travel to Tokyo after the tour in winter, we ask that you do not book any service earlier than the 17:56 Kagayaki (reservation only) or our recommendation of the 18:23 Hakutaka. For guests booking onward tickets to other destinations we also recommend doing so for times of 18:00 or later.
• This tour includes lunch designed to highlight the best of Nagano. The restaurant location and menu are subject to differ based on the season. Please note that the lunch may be different than images shown on this page.
• This tour includes ‘sake’ tasting at Yoshinoya Sake Brewery (nearby the temple). You must be a minimum of 20 years of age to consume alcohol in Japan.
• 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.
• Booking cut-off time is an hour before the pick up time on the day.

TRIPADVISOR TRAVELERS’ CHOICE ‘BEST OF THE BEST’ AWARD: TOUR NAMED ONE OF JAPAN’S TOP 10 TRAVEL EXPERIENCES FOR 2022

We are happy to announce that our 1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Tour has again been recognized as one of the Top 10 travel experiences in Japan having received a TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice ‘Best of the Best 2022’ award. We would like to thank all guests who joined the tour in the past year including those who took the time to provide a review. Travelers’ Choice Award winners are determined based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from TripAdvisor travelers worldwide, with multiple categories including the coveted Top Experiences in Japan announced this week. Snow Monkey Resorts is honored to be recognized among Japan’s best tour providers based on the bookings and reviews provided by our guests via TripAdvisor, for the second time since 2019.