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Nagano (Jigokudani Snow Monkeys)
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Nagano (Jigokudani Snow Monkeys)

Snow Monkeys in a Hot Spring, and a 1,400-Year-Old Temple

Plan this trip
2 daysIdeal stay₹5,450From / night₹2,120Food / day₹480Entry

The 1998 Winter Olympics city, 80 minutes from Tokyo by shinkansen, with the great temple of Zenko-ji at the top of its main street. An hour away, wild Japanese macaques bathe in a hot-spring pool at Jigokudani Monkey Park, at the end of a 1.6 km forest walk: best from December to March, when they sit in the steam with snow on their heads. Stay in the old onsen villages of Yudanaka or Shibu Onsen; Hakuba's ski slopes are an hour west.

Highlights

  • Snow monkeys bathing at Jigokudani
  • Forest walk to the monkey park
  • Zenko-ji and its pitch-dark underground passage
  • Shibu Onsen's nine public baths
  • Togakushi shrines and soba
  • Obuse's chestnut sweets and Hokusai museum
  • Skiing at Hakuba or Shiga Kogen

Things to do

  • Jigokudani Monkey ParkMorning · 3h
  • Zenko-ji temple & Okaidan passageMorning · 2h
  • Shibu Onsen bath-hopping in a yukataEvening · 2h
  • Togakushi shrine cedar avenue & soba lunchMorning · 4h
  • Obuse town & Hokusai-kanAfternoon · 2h 30m

Tours & tickets

When to go

Best time: December – March (monkeys in the snow); April – November

Heads up

Rainy Season (Tsuyu)

From early June to mid or late July it rains most days, often all day, on Honshu and Kyushu: carry an umbrella, keep outdoor plans flexible, and expect landslide warnings to close mountain roads and some railways after heavy downpours. Hydrangeas are in flower and the crowds are thinner.

Heads up

Deep Snow in the Alps and Hokuriku

Heavy snow from December to February makes Shirakawa-go and the Alps beautiful and slows everything: buses run but can be late or cancelled in storms, and mountain roads need winter tyres. Wear boots with grip.

Heads up

Snow Monkeys Bathe Mostly in Winter

Jigokudani's macaques sit in the hot spring mostly from December to March; in the warmer months they come to the park but rarely bathe. The park is open all year.