Snow Monkeys Park Tour and Ebisu-ko Fireworks Fest in Nagano
Description
With over 15,000 individual fireworks lighting-up the crisp autumn sky, Nagano’s annual Ebisu-ko Fireworks Festival attracts over 400,000 people to the city to watch this amazing spectacle. As Japan’s largest and most beautiful autumn fireworks display, this tour includes reserved seating at the event with a visit to Nagano’s world-famous Snow Monkey Park – home to the only troop of monkeys in the world known to bathe in hot springs – and late lunch at one of the region’s best restaurants. This once a year tour is one of our most popular and is sure to leave a lasting impression long after the fireworks fade away!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Established in 1964, Nagano's world-famous Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park is home to the only troop of monkeys in the entire 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 the walk about 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.
Having visited the monkeys, enjoy a well-earned late lunch at Hotaru-tei - one of the region's best restaurants. Housed in a 170-year-old historic mansion, the traditional aesthetic of the restaurant is sure to heighten your enjoyment of Japan and Nagano's renowned food culture. Your guide will accompany you to the restaurant and is always happy to talk all things food!
Originally held in 1899 by a small group of local merchants, Nagano's annual Ebisu-ko Fireworks Festival has grown into Japan's largest autumn fireworks display, attracting an estimated 430,000 spectators to watch more than 15,000 individual fireworks burst into light in the night sky over the course of two hours. Taking place at Saigawa Kasenjiki Park, your booking includes a reserved 'Ebisu Seat', from where you'll have a great view of the show. Your guide will get you seated and comfortable and explain the lay-out of the grounds, in time for one of Japan's most spectacular annual events.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- It will be cold in the end of November in Nagano with a possibility of snowfall and temperatures falling below 0°C at night. The cold is especially apparent at night so please wear warm clothes fit for winter. During the fireworks display, you will be sitting for extended periods at which time you might really start to feel cold. Please feel free to bring anything you need to stay warm. During other parts of the tour, you are free to leave anything you don’t need on the tour bus.
- There will be a lot of walking on paved and unpaved roads so please wear suitable shoes.
- 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.
- 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 unlikely, it is possible and is outside of our control.
- There will be a lot of people leaving for places like Tokyo and Kanazawa after the festival. It is expected to be very busy so be sure to book either your Shinkansen tickets or your hotel in/around Nagano in advance. You can book the following train services after the tour: Nagano: 21:46 – Tokyo: 23:24 – Hakutaka / Nagano: 22:08 – Tokyo: 23:32 – Kagayaki (reserved seats only) / Nagano: 21:21 – Kanazawa: 22:30 – Kagayaki (reserved seats only) / Nagano: 21:54 – Kanazawa: 23:21 – Hakutaka / Nagano: 22:28 – Kanazawa: 23:35 – Kagayaki (reserved seats only)
- This tour is not wheelchair accessible and may not be suitable for mobility-impaired travellers. Should you have any concerns about your ability to join the tour, please contact us to discuss prior to booking.
- The remaining amount of time is allocated to free time, meal and transport
- Please note, there may be possible changes in the itinerary/included experiences due to local events, weather, restaurant availability, or other unforeseeable factors.
Reviews(7)
The tour guide team was great & I really enjoyed the itinerary for the day! It was full without being excessive and the stop at the restaurant after the Snow Monkey park was great - a fantastic array of food and time to rest before making our way to the next stop to see the fireworks!! A word of caution to future travellers, the firework show spans over a few hours in the dark, so it gets really really cold after a while of sitting still! Plan to pack a few things to keep yourself warm (if you need, you can leave some items without valuables on the bus during other parts of the day), but make sure you're not dressed too heavily as there is a decent walk to the monkey park & back. I'd particularly like to thank Orlando for his great conversation and insight into Japanese culture and way-of-life, and wish him & all the other tour guides all the best for what the future has in store!
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you for your detailed 5-star review! We agree, it's very important to dress warm as this tour spends most of its time outdoors (and a few hours in the dark) - appreciate the tip! It's great that you had an enjoyable day from the Snow Monkey Park to the incredible fireworks. Orlando is so pleased to read your kind words about him. We look forward to welcoming you back! Snow Monkey Resorts
We had a great day, the activities were great and the organization was fluid. The guides were very invested in making everything go smoothly, which made the experience super fun!
Dear Bertille, Thank you for the awesome review! We are so happy you felt the tour was organized and full of fun. We will be sure to pass along your wonderful feedback to the guides. We hope you'll visit us again in the future! Snow Monkey Resorts
The service was very attentive from the beginning of the gathering, and they also helped a lot when watching the snow monkeys. The accompanying staff in the car can speak Chinese which is great, especially Orlando from the red team who helped in Chinese from the beginning of the gathering. The fireworks are also very beautiful and the location is perfect. Good, it’s right in front of the fireworks display, and there’s also a private bus connecting it, which is great!
Dear 俊成, Thank you for the positive review! Orlando will be glad to know his guidance in Chinese was so helpful. We're thrilled you enjoyed the fireworks and snow monkeys. We look forward to welcoming you back! Snow Monkey Resorts
Great trip! Nice food! We visited the snow monkey hotspring park and watch the Nagano Ebisuko Hanabi show. Special thanks to our tour guides Sean and Orlando!
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you so much for the 5-star feedback! It makes our day to know that you enjoyed the fireworks and tour overall. Our team works hard to ensure every customer has a memorable experience. We hope to see you again! Snow Monkey Resorts
When I booked my 15-day trip to Japan, the number one thing I wanted to do was this 1-day tour with Snow Monkey Resorts. I really wanted to see the Ebisu-ko Fireworks Show, and a relaxing forest walk to see snow monkeys at Jigokudani was an added bonus. I had to spend a day on the train getting from Beppu to Nagano to do it and it was absolutely worth it! One, it's really nice to just get to show up somewhere and have someone else do all the work. And shuttle you around all day! Sure, the evening weather didn't happen to be in our favor this time (being November and all...), but that didn't detract from the fireworks. And the morning weather was actually perfect for monkey viewing! Lots and lots of monkeys this particular day. (If you're nervous about being right up next to wild animals like I am, one might say... too many monkeys! 😆) Lunch was amazing! I think it was the fanciest meal I ate the whole trip and I met some really great fellow travelers. And through all of it, Peter and Marie were the absolute best guides. They were very knowledgable about the monkeys and the Nagano area and were really easy to talk to. And they dealt with some last-minute, impossible-to-foresee challenges with calm, humor and grace which I really appreciated! The website is great and everything is laid out in detail. I knew exactly what to expect and I already have more Snow Monkey Resort tours in mind for my next trip!
Thanks for booking our tour and taking the time to write a review! We are very pleased to hear you enjoyed your day-out with Peter and Marie and despite the challenge of the weather and fireworks, we are thrilled we could provide you with a memorable experience. All the best for 2023!
Had a truly marvelous time in spite of the drizzle and was very glad to be part of the tour as the festival procedures seemed rather confusing even though I was familiar with Japan! Peter and Marie were warm, friendly and knowledgeable and I would definitely recommend both this tour and their very informative website 👍🏻
Thanks for taking the time to review the tour Gail and we are thrilled to hear you enjoyed your day with Peter and Marie! The weather didn't cooperate but we are very pleased you still enjoyed your day-out in Nagano! All the best in 2023!
Peter & Marie Are excellent guides! We came to Nagano for this experience and it was well worth it. The weather didn’t cooperate but our guides handled it well and it resulted in a very memorable experience. The fireworks were beautiful especially the ones set to music. We had plenty of time with the monkeys and we got to see so many. The normal restaurant used for the tour was under renovation so it was arranged to go to a different one and the food was delicious. We highly recommend this tour and would like to thank our guides for the great information and service!
Thanks for taking the time to review our tour and despite the wooly weather on the day, we are thrilled to hear you enjoyed your day! Thanks for choosing us and we hope to see you again someday in Nagano.
