The Snow Monkey Park was such an amazing and breathtaking experience, and if you are visiting Japan I highly encourage setting aside at least 1 day in your touring plans to visit! It is easy to dismiss or underestimate the geography of a country that you are unfamiliar with, and although Japan appears small on a map there is so much terrain to cover. With that being said, visiting the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park can be tackled as a 1-day trip, but you may want to consider making a weekend out of it. Regardless of if you choose a day trip or a weekend getaway, here are the What, When, and Hows that we think you should know BEFORE you visit the marvel that is Snow Monkey Park.
Table of Contents
The What
Chances are if you have picked up a National Geographic magazine or browsed their website you have stumbled upon the magnificent Japanese Macaques soaking in hot springs, surrounded by steam and snow. For as far back as I can remember the Snow Monkey Park has been on my bucket list, but even when I was stationed in Japan I was unable to make the trek. I think deep down I was worried that it was overly complicated or in a very remote area. However, this trip around the world is all about defying limits and expectations so I courageously added it to the travel plans.
Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park is located in the Yamanouchi Shimotaki District in the Nagano Prefecture of Japan. The Snow Monkey Park is located in the monkeyโs natural habitat, however, it has a manmade pool, which makes this park a popular tourist hotspot. The monkeys gather in their natural groups in and around the pool as well as the bank of the stream the runs through the park. The park rangers do feed the Japanese Macaques in a way that mimics their natural foraging techniques, however, visitors are strictly forbidden from touching or feeding the monkeys. For those of you who have visited the Monkey Forest in Bali, you will come to find that you will like these monkeys, they are completely unfazed by visitors of the human variety, and because you arenโt allowed to feed them they are nice and mellow.
The When
So when exactly should you visit? The Snow Monkey Park is actually open year-round, but if you are looking for that serene mesmerizing photo to cherish for years you may want to plan your trip between December and March, with January and February being the peak snow season. The monkeys will come down to the man-made pool in the warmer months, but they typically have to be coaxed with food from the park rangers.
The opening hours vary based on the season. April to October they are open from 8:30 โ 17:00 and from November to March 9:00 โ 16:00. They close earlier during the winter months because the monkeys head back up the mountain when it starts to get dark.
The How
So here is where the real meat and potatoes come in! Was the trek up to Snow Monkey Park worth it, especially with 2 small children? Ummm, absolutely? Can you hop up one morning and decide to visit the park? Of course, you can, but you will probably hit a lot of bumps in the road which could take away from your experience. A little bit of preplanning can really go a LONG way, especially when traveling with little ones.
If you are traveling to Jigokudani from Tokyo and you are utilizing the Japan Rail Pass, be sure to pre-book your tickets as soon as possible, especially for peak travel times! We booked a few days ahead at the JR office closest to us and were able to secure the train and seats that we wanted on the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo station to the Nagano JR station. The Hokuriku Shinkansen ride from Tokyo to Nagano will vary between 80-100 minutes based on the actual Shinkansen train you travel on and the speed it travels. If you are not traveling on the JR Rail Pass a single way fare for the Hokuriku Shinkansen costs ยฅ8200 (approx. $76.00 USD).
Once you arrive at Nagano station, head in the direction of the Dentestu train to purchase your Snow Monkey 1-Day Pass. You can purchase your train fare, admission to the Snow Monkey Park, and bus fare separately, but I recommend purchasing the pass to save yourself some money and time.
The Snow Monkey 1-Day Pass includes:ย
- One day unlimited use of the Nagano Dentetsu Train Line
- One day unlimited use of the Nagaden Express Bus between Nagano Station and Kanbayashi Onsen
- One day unlimited use of the local Nagaden bus between Yudanaka Station and Kanbayashi Onsen
- Admission to the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park
Price:
Adult (13+): ยฅ3,200
Child (6-12 years old): ยฅ1,600
Now that you have your pass, you will board the Nagano Dentetsu Train Line that will bring you the Yudanaka Station.
**As you exit the train station, be sure to make note of the train schedule for the day. I am serious, take a photo of it on your phone, tattoo it on your forearm, whatever it takes to make sure you arenโt stranded. The park stays open longer than the bus runs so take my advice, and donโt be like us relishing how empty the park is later in the afternoon because you will wish you exited sooner!
The buses that run from Yudanaka station do not line up perfectly with the Dentetsu line, so if you havenโt already, be sure to grab some lunch. The trek up to the Snow Monkey Park is not one to do without the necessary fuel your body needs. We grabbed a quick bite at Goen which is directly across from the train station, so we were able to fly out of the door when the bus arrived.
The local bus will wind you through the snow-covered streets to the Kanbayashi Onsen stop and this is where the physical work starts. The hill that brings you to the park entrance is a complete BEAST! For the last 300 yards or so I really started second guessing myself and whether the hike was actually realistic for the entire family.
**You will pass a toilet on your way to the entrance if you feel like you or your little one may even think about needed to relieve themselves on the hike up, go now. There are no toilets on the trails and your next opportunity to use the facilities will be after your 1.8km hike once you reach the actual entrance and welcome center of the Snow Monkey Park.
Helpful Tips for the Hike to the Snow Monkey Park
- Keep children on the inside of the trail! There are no guardrails and as you can see from the vlog, the fall would be catastrophic. I donโt say that to scare you, but for you to know that if you have a child on the spectrum that has extreme impulse control challenges or likes to bolt, this may not be the best hike to take. At some points during the hike we had the valley on one side and a river on the other, but I kept a tight grasp on Roo for the most part, and she did perfectly fine.
- If you are carrying your baby, I would recommend that you wear them on the front for this particular hike. There are a lot of slick spots and thankfully none of us fell, but if we had I would have it is much more likely to fall on your bottom and if you fall forward you have your hands to catch yourself and protect the baby.
- I cannot say this loud enoughโฆ BRING PROPER FOOTWEAR!! I cannot tell you how many people we saw in high heels and dress shoes. I wouldnโt even advise you to wear regular gym shoes (or sneakers depending on where you are from lol). This is a snow-capped trail where the snow has melted and will freeze into sheets of ice each day. The slick patches are visible in some spots but for the most part, they are invisible until it is too late. If you are traveling, especially with little ones, donโt take the risk of falling. If you are traveling around the world and donโt want the added bulk of boots, you can bring these snow cleats with you for your gym shoes or you can rent boots and other snow gear from the info & gift shop at the Snow Monkey Park.
- Second to proper footwear is to dress in WARM layers. The baby wore a full snowsuit with a hat and Christa wore her in the carrier to be close to body heat and a scarf tied around the perimeter of the carrier to keep heat in. Roo is warm-blooded so she wore snowsuit pants, with thermal pants underneath, a thermal long sleeve shirt, and a thick winter coat, complete with gloves, hat, her hood on, and winter boots. The adults wore thick pants with thermals underneath, boots, gloves, hats, and ski coats.
- Bring hot hands for your gloves and boots if you are traveling in the winter. One the day that we visited, the weather was tolerable, but as we hiked back down the temperature began to rapidly drop and I am so happy that we had those little packets to keep our extremities warm.
- Take your time and actually enjoy the hike up! It is a relatively flat 35-45 minute walk depending on the speed of your children, but there is so much to see and soak up. We are no strangers to snow, but there was something mystical about walking in the middle of the forest surrounded by the sounds of the river running and rustling of the trees swaying in the breeze.
Roo still talks about our trip to the Snow Monkey Park and it is definitely a place I plan to visit again in the future. My only regret for this trip was not getting a chance to explore all of the onsens and ryokan in the area. So if you are planning a trip, I would encourage you to check out a local hotel or ryokan in the area of the Snow Monkey Park to round out the magic of your trip!
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