Snow Monkeys & Obuse from Nagano: Car & Driver, No Guide

Your driver will meet you at JR Nagano Station and drive you to Kanbayashi Onsen, the starting point of the trail to the Snow Monkey Park. The journey takes approximately one hour.

The world-famous “Snow Monkey Park” is located in the Valley of Yokoyu River in northern Nagano where the troops of wild Japanese monkeys inhabit naturally through the ages. To access the monkey park, you must walk along a forest trail located at the top of Kanbayashi Onsen. Kanbayashi is small and the trail entrance is located next to the Snow Monkey Resort Information and Gift Shop. Pease note that entry tickets for the monkey park are not sold and there are no toilets. Tickets for the park are purchased at the park itself, at the end of the trail. When the weather is fine, this is an easy walk and it takes about 20 to 25 minutes. The trail to the park is 1.6 km / 1 mile in both directions. It is unsealed but well-maintained and other than a short staircase at the trail entrance and a final steep staircase and sloped path at the end of the trail / entrance to the park itself, the trail is completely level and easy to walk.

After visitint the Show Monkey Park, your driver will take you to Obuse Town. It takes about 30 minutes from Kanbayashi Onsen to Obuse.

Katsushika Hokusai painted “Phoenix Glaring in All Directions” on the ceiling in 1848 at the age of 89. The mythical bird’s eyes seem to follow you no matter where you stand.

Hokusai Katsushika was a master of Ukiyo-e, a Japanese genre of painting and woodblock printing that flourished between the late 17th and late 19th centuries. The Hokusai Museum is a diverse tribute to the renowned Japanese artist Hokusai Katsushika who visited several times near the end of his life in the charming town of Obuse.

Obuse’s townscape manages to satisfy the desire of residents for convenience while providing a soothing atmosphere for visitors. Kuri no Komichi is paved with blocks of chestnuts wood, this path linking the Hokusai Museum and the Takai Kozan Museum is one of Obuse’s best-loved spots and a perfect place for a stroll. To walk along paths and enjoy the contrast of earth-colored walls and tiled roofs in almost like stepping back in time.

Paintings and calligraphic works by Takai Kozan, the prosperous farmer and merchant who both invited Hokusai to Obuse and studied under the master, are on display in his former salon and study.

Chestnuts have been cultivated in Obuse—long celebrated as one of the three top spots for chestnuts in Japan—since the fourteenth century and were presented to the shogunate as tribute during the Edo Period. It was only during the early twentieth century, though, that canning technology transformed chestnut sweets from a seasonal delicacy to a year-round product. With a history dating back to 1923, Obusedo produces a wide range of traditional chestnut sweets (like yokan, kuri kanoko, and rakugan) as well as dorayaki, pound cakes, and other delights.

Established during the middle of the Edo period, our brewery relocated to Obuse in 1889 at the beginning of the Meiji period. The current brewery building dates back more than 200 years. With its eye-catching red brick chimney, this is where our master brewer creates a range of sakes both vigorous and delicate. Sake made from rice steamed in our giant wagama boiler has exceptional flavor. This Japanese sake brewery offers tastings and brewery tours (with reservations, Japanese only).

After Obuse sightseeing, your driver will take you back to JR Nagano Station.　From Obuse to Nagano Station, it takes about 40 minutes.