1-Day Tour: Snow Monkeys & Zenkoji Winter Illumination

Combining a visit to Nagano’s world-famous Snow Monkey Park and evening exploration of the Zenkoji Illumination Festival, this enjoyable one day tour captures the magic of Nagano of in winter. Including dinner at one of Nagano City’s most popular restaurants – Monzen Terrace Enya – this is one tour rich in the festive spirit of winter!

Highlights

• Visit the world-famous hot spring-bathing Snow Monkeys of Jigoukudani and enjoy observing these curious creatures in their winter playground
• Warm yourself on some of Nagano’s best ‘sake’ with a guided tasting followed by early dinner at Monzen Terrace Enya
• Explore Zenkoji – Nagano’s 1400 year old temple – in the vivid glow of its magical winter Illumination Festival
• Including pickup in both Hakuba and Nagano and led by an English-speaking guide

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

Description

This tour includes pickup at three points in Hakuba between 10:45 and 11:10 followed by Nagano Station at 12:15. Your guide will greet you at your chosen pick-up point, have you board the tour vehicle and on your way to the Jigokudani Monkey Park. Arriving nearby the park at 13:15, your guide will lead you to the trail entrance and then along the forest trail into the park.

Home to the only troop of monkeys in the world known naturally to bathe in hot springs, there are no barriers separating you from the wild monkeys, making this a unique and memorable experience. In the deep snow of winter, the monkeys like nothing more than a long, warming soak in the hot spring. Your guide will introduce these truly curious creatures and provide you time to enjoy the unique experience of observing them in close proximity.

Walking back out along the forest trail, you will then board the bus back to Nagano City. As the evening takes hold, your guide will walk you to the temple precinct, where you will first enjoy a warming ‘sake’ tasting before heading to an early-dinner at Monzen Terrace Enya.

You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy your meal and get warm before heading to the nearby temple, where you guide will introduce you to the near-1400 year history of Zenkoji before allowing you time to explore for yourself and take in the beauty and atmosphere of the winter illumination.

This is a rare opportunity to explore the temple at night. Accompanied by a locally-based guide, we are certain to find this to be an illuminating experience in every sense of the word! Following the festival, your guide will have you board the tour bus and head to Nagano Station with drop-off around 19:50 followed by drop-offs in Hakuba between 21:00 to 21:00, bringing the tour to a close*.

*For guests who join the tour in Hakuba, after drop-off at Nagano Station, the bus will return you to Hakuba where your day is scheduled to conclude around 21:00 to 21:10. Due to weather and road conditions in winter, we cannot guarantee the end time of tours. For guests want to book onward travel including train tickets during winter, please refer to Other Information for our recommendations.

TOUR MEETUP POINTS

This tour operates from three points in Hakuba along with Nagano Station, with the following meetup points:

1  / HAKUBA TOKYU HOTEL, WADANO @ 10:45

Please wait at the entrance of the hotel lobby. This is a group tour with multiple pickup points to follow. Your guide will not have time to look for you or ask reception to call your room. 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 by 10:50.

2  /  HAKUBA HAPPO BUS TERMINAL @ 11:00

Please wait inside the bus terminal and be sure to look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag. Please be waiting before the meetup time as the tour will depart by 11:05.

3 / ECHOLAND BASE CAMP HAKUBA @ 11:10

The third pickup point is Hakuba Base Camp Echoland. Please wait at the main building. 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 by 11:15.

4  /  NAGANO STATION @ 12:15

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 12:20.

NOTES

Included

• Transportation from / to Hakuba and Nagano and all listed activities / attractions
• Snow Monkey Park entrance fee
• Dinner (vegetarian options available)
• Guided ‘sake’ tasting
• English-speaking guide

Excluded

• Shinkansen / ‘Bullet Train’ tickets
• Lunch
• Additional food, snacks and drinks
• Accommodation (unless requested)

Other Information

• There will be a significant amount of walking required – 1.6 km / 1 mile one way -to get to and from the Snow Monkey Park, along an unsealed forest trail so please wear appropriate shoes / boots.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• During the winter it is common to see the Snow Monkeys enjoying the hot spring bath, 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.
• Due to time constraints and in order to time our arrival for the evening illumination, this tour does not include lunch. Please make sure to have an early lunch or bring something to snack on during the day. There will also be an opportunity to buy a snack and / or drinks after exiting the monkey park and re-boarding the tour bus.
• ‘Sake’ tasting will take place at Yoshinoya Brewery in Nagano City. You must be aged 20 years and over to sample alcoholic drinks. Non-alcoholic options will also be offered to all guests along with the chance to try local ‘miso’, ‘tsukemono’ and other products.
• This tour includes dinner at Monzen Terrace Enya. The photos included above are of the menu served in the previous year’s tour. The restaurant will update their menu each year meaning that the exact meal will vary however include the same number and types of dishes. We will keep this information and images up-to-date as the restaurant confirms their menu with us.
• Illumination and installations at the festival change each year and may not be the same as those shown in images above.
• 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.
• The tour application deadline is 1 day before the tour date at 17:00.