Nagano's Best: Wild Snow Monkeys, Ancient Zen & Sake
Take in some of the highlights of Nagano with this engaging tour starting with a visit to Zenkoji Temple – 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! All led by a locally-based English-speaking guide, this tour is a great way to see the best that Nagano has to offer and get up close and personal with its most famous furry residents!
Reviews
Reviews and Rating (Tripadvisor)
5 stars
Reviews by Tripadvisor travelers
daisygirl_79, 1/27/2026 10:53:30 PM
We have a lovely day with Dylan as our guide. He was veery polite and knowledable about the areas we visited. The lunch was delicious as well. I would have loved an extra 30mins to look around after the temple visit, and look in all the lovely little shops close by. But generallty we had a wonderful day and would highly recommend this tour.
ChrisMene, 1/27/2026 8:51:51 PM
Kevin was our expert guide on this fabulous day. His knowledge, experience, professionalism and personable approach made this day for us. The cold, snow and sun created an environment that was magical. Well paced and facilitated thanks Kevin and the team behind the scenes.
U3265GGdeep, 1/27/2026 5:58:56 AM
Brent and Tom were wonderful guides. They were very knowledgeable. The temple and sake testing was lots of fun. The monkeys were a highlight, if you don't have proper snow boots, then definitely hire the spikes as the trail is super slippery.
alexpW3867MV, 1/27/2026 3:36:15 AM
This was a great tour! It was great to have someone else organise the logistics and just turn up and enjoy. The monkeys were awesome as was the temple and lunch was delicious. Dylan was a fantastic guide and I learnt a lot. I would definitely recommend this tour.
Compass276566, 1/27/2026 1:47:01 AM
WE visited Snow Monkey resort as a part of full day Nagano tour. Walk from bus parking was 1 mile only and much easier than I was thinking even in winter conditions. Monkeys were funny as expected, but majority were out of pull, climbing the nearby bushes. Those stayed in a poo, were comparatively active, so we could not get a picture of "stoned' monkeys, may be it was not cold enough for them. Overall it was definitely worthwhile to visit
jaimeeh2026, 1/26/2026 5:12:02 AM
Tom was fantastic! Loved the entire day
Gail_F, 1/26/2026 3:06:27 AM
What a fabulous day! Highly recommend doing this tour. Endo was guide and he was brilliant. Kept everything running smoothly and was always open to answer any questions we had. We really enjoyed visiting the Zenko-ji Temple, it was very busy though due to the time of the year. The sake tasting was a treat also - we loved the aged sake and would of loved to take some back to Australia (we didn't as it was expensive and didn't want it to break). The highlight of the day was of course the snow monkeys. They were entertaining to watch and the scenery surrounding was breathtaking. Highly recommend that any age take this tour and hopefully you have Endo as a guide.
steadfasttravel890, 1/25/2026 7:32:50 AM
Tom was a great guide. Friendly and approachable demeanor. Enjoyed the information he shared during the sake tasting.
R4382PRandrewb, 1/25/2026 7:17:51 AM
We had an amazing time on this tour. Tom was so great. We saw so many monkeys and learned a lot about the Buddhist temples. Would definitely recommend!
Cynthia_W, 1/25/2026 3:08:33 AM
This was a well planned out amazing tour. The Temple was amazing. The lunch was great the Sake tasing was great but the snow monkeys were the best part. There were so many monkeys everywhere. We will never forget this trip. Our tour guide Brent was very knowledgeable and gave us plenty of free time to explore each thing.
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This tour includes a reasonable amount of walking including to and from the monkey park along a 1.6km (1 mile), unsealed forest trail. Please sure your footwear is appropriate and you are dressed accordingly for the season. The trail includes 2 different staircases, and therefore is not wheelchair accessible.
- Guests are required to follow the Snow Monkey Park rules at all times. Guests are not permitted to touch, hold, feed or bathe with the monkeys at any time. There are no barriers separating the monkeys from visitors to the park. Please ensure you keep a minimum distance of 1 to 2 meters between yourself and the monkeys. Your guide will explain the rules prior to entering the park.
- This tour uses different forms of transport. Tours can be conducted by microbus or a large bus 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, arrive late or leave early. While this is unlikely, it is possible and is outside of our control.
- *Winter only* Guests in Hakuba can join this tour using our shuttle service from / to Hakuba Tokyu Hotel in Wadano and Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal. This service is only available from mid December until end of March 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 19:00 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 at one of Nagano's outstanding restaurants. Please note that the restaurant may change their menu from time-to-time. Please let us know of any food allergies in advance so we can arrange accordingly.
- This tour includes ‘sake’ tasting. 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.
- Train schedule from Tokyo station to Nagano station| Tokyo: 07:20 –> Nagano: 08:43 by Kagayaki (reservation required*)| Tokyo: 07:24 –> Nagano: 09:14 by Asama| Tokyo: 07:52 –> Nagano: 09:30 by Hakutaka
- Train schedule from Nagano station to Tokyo station| Nagano: 17:55 –> Tokyo: 19:20 by Kagayaki (reservation required*)| Nagano: 18:22 –> Tokyo: 20:00 by Hakutaka
- Please note, there may be possible changes in the itinerary/included experiences due to local events, weather, restaurant availability, or other unforeseeable factors.
- Please note that it is the responsibility of each guest to secure their own way back to their specific hotel after being dropped off at one of the four possible drop off points in Hakuba during the winter period, as our large bus cannot drop off at individual accommodations.
Departure point
Please wait at the bus lot directly next to La Vigne Hakuba, not at the hotel entrance. Make sure you arrive before 08:10 and look for the guide carrying a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour sign or badge. The tour cannot wait and will need to depart on-time, so please be punctual.Return details
Take in some of the highlights of Nagano with this engaging tour starting with a visit to Zenkoji Temple – 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! All led by a locally-based English-speaking guide, this tour is a great way to see the best that Nagano has to offer and get up close and personal with its most famous furry residents!Redemption
・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. ・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 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. ・There are a few days in the year that the monkeys might not come down to the park. In such case we will provide an alternative activity. ・This tour includes lunch at Monzen Terrace Enya. On rare occasions it may not be possible to use this restaurant in which case we would switch to another, comparable location. ・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. ・The start and finish of the tour are arranged according to the bullet train (called Hokuriku Shinkansen) timetable. See below for specific timetables on the bullet train departure and arrival times to/from Nagano Station. Departing from Tokyo Station – Arriving at Nagano Station: • 07:20 – 08:43 Kagayaki (reserved seats only) • 07:24 – 09:14 Asama • 07:52 – 09:30 Hakutaka Departing from Nagano Station – Arriving back to Tokyo Station • 17:55 – 19:20 Kagayaki (reserved seats only) • 18:22 – 20:00 Hakutaka24 hours before travel date - 100% refund
Less than 24 hours before travel date - 0% refund