1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano
Description
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!
Tour Options
Itinerary
As one of the oldest, largest, and most important Buddhist temples in Japan, Zenko-ji is the spiritual heart of Nagano. The temple's near-1400 year history is full of legend and myth which your guide will help you unlock as they guide you around the temple precinct followed by free time (time-permitting).
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 sake tasting and introduce you to the fascinating world of this classic Japanese beverage.
After a filling lunch at a local restaurant, be ready to be WOWed by the monkeys! Established in 1964, Nagano's world-famous Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park is home to the only troop of monkeys in the world known to bathe in hot springs. With no barriers between you and the monkeys (don't worry, they are very calm) this is a unique opportunity to observe these curious creatures in close proximity as they walk around you, wrestle with each other, endlessly groom, and of course, soak in their favorite hot spring! Your guide will introduce you to everything that makes them so unique and famous while giving you plenty of time to explore for yourself. Please note that estimated time at the monkey park includes walking in and out along the forest trail - 1.6km each way / 25 minutes each way in summer, slightly longer in winter. We endeavor to give our guests 1 hour in the park to observe the monkeys.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- 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.
Reviews(1,129)
This was an absolutely incredible experience! Alissa was our guide, and she was knowledgeable, accommodating, and truly what made the excursion special. From the temple to the monkeys, every aspect was well thought out, and there wasn’t a question that went unanswered. She even translated for us so we could speak directly with the snow monkey park ranger to ask him questions. We truly appreciate all the work the guides put in to preparing for these events, and I would recommend this trip to everyone.
What a great experience on 09 June with a local tour guide. I hope I recall your name correctly, Hana San who also has work experience with Fujitsu. Being the only guest on this tour, meant I got the full attention of the team, from setting the pace, to learning a lot more about the attractions and their history in a 1 on 1 experience and to sharing some of our personal stories as well. We started with the tour of Zenkoji temple and it's surrounds which included other temples and stores that used local produce to create local delicacies. That was followed by a short walk to the sake tasting and that in itself was quite a great experience, learning about the different ways sake is made and how different levels of refinement are achieved. Next was a sumptuous lunch, a full course meal, at an upmarket and serene venue away from the city close to the snow monkeys. After lunch, we took a brisk stroll to view the monkeys, the gods smiled on us that day, offering great weather and a perfect close up of the snow monkeys, many with young offspring, presenting many perfect photo opportunities. Sadly, the day had to end but it was money very well spent and a moment that I will always cherish.
My brother and I went on the Zenkoji and Snow Monkey tour on June 8, 2026 with Hiroshi as our guide and we had the best time. Hiroshi was extremely timely, knowledgeable and kind. It started to rain towards the end of the tour and he went out of his way to make sure my brother and I had umbrellas so we would not get wet. I will recommend him to any of my friends and family that come over to Japan!! Thank you Hiroshi!
Our guide Kieran was amazing - very knowledgeable and considerate to get us seeing all the keys sights. Great tour!
This tour is well balanced. It is a larger group experience. We had 11 in our group today. You will see a beautiful shrine, get to shop & snack, then you will enjoy tasty & educational sake tasting. You then head to the Monkey Park and have a beautiful Japanese style lunch at a gorgeous hotel next to the park. Finally, you hike up to the Monkey park and pray to see the monkeys at play in the wild! Ttaka was our guide and he was funny, educated and super nice. We saw 1 monkey and our day was fabulous.
Our guide Jake was fabulous. His knowledge of Nagano and surrounds was amazing. We visited the Temple, did some sake tasting and had a beautiful lunch at the entrance to the Snow Monkey Park. Visiting the Snow Monkeys (and babies) was just the icing on the cake!
We had a great tour with Kei as our guide. The first stop at Zenko-ji temple provided a great insight into the history and sanctity of Zeno-Ji. Second stop was for sake tasting. This allowed us to sample many sakes both man made and machine made. Kei was able to provide us with interesting info on all the sake. The third stop was for a fabulous Japanese lunch. Finally we stopped at the monkey park where we saw many macaques at play and having a swim in the naturally heated pool. We also saw some juveniles swimming under water and a few mothers with tiny babies. Even though there was no snow it was well worth while, It was a fantastic experience! Kei was a fantastic tour guide.
Great and well thought out tour… the monkeys were plentiful and their habitat lovely. The walking path in the woods to get to their hanging spot is longer than I expected- so worth it!
Great day! Our friendly and helpful guide Tomo met us and led 7 of us to our comfortable and clean van with an excellent driver waiting for us. The temple was beautiful and allowed time to wander before going to a very nice sake tasting. The van then picked us up and drove us to a lovely restaurant with a delicious lunch. Last was the snow monkey park. Beautiful walk in the forest to see the amazing monkeys running around,eating, grooming each other, chasing each other. Snow monkeys were a pure delight! Leisurely walk back to van (we stopped to get an apple soft serve ice cream) and then relax on the drive back to Nagano JR station. Fabulous day, highly recommend!
We had a lot of fun during this tour and saw a lot of monkeys. Our guide was very nice and recommended us a lot of activities and restaurants around
