BY BULLET TRAIN
Tokyo to Nagano in 80 minutes, then the park.
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The Experience
Park entry, lunch and a hot spring bath, all in the fare.
One early shinkansen out, one evening train back.
Your driver collects you in central Tokyo early enough to reach the valley while the macaques are still at the hot spring. The drive is roughly three and a half to four hours each way.
Vehicles stop at the Jigokudani car park. From there it is a forest trail along the Yokoyu river to the park gate — flat but unpaved, and icy underfoot for much of the winter.
The macaques come down to the pool on their own schedule. Most tours allow around two hours inside the park, which is what makes the difference between a glimpse and a proper visit.
Many itineraries add Zenko-ji temple, Shibu Onsen or a soba lunch on the return leg, then drop you back at your Tokyo hotel in the evening.
Photo Gallery
Jigokudani's troop through the winter months.
Costed for two travellers, which is where the rail route is strongest.
| Feature | BEST FOR TWO Shinkansen + Local Tour | Private Charter From Tokyo | Shinkansen + Train and Bus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to Nagano | 80 minutes by Kagayaki, up to 100 on slower services | 3.5 to 4 hours by road | 80 to 100 minutes |
| The Last 45 Minutes | ✓ The operator collects you at the station | ✓ Your driver takes you the whole way | Nagano Dentetsu to Yudanaka, then a ¥390 bus |
| Cost for Two | About ¥32,000 rail return, plus $127 each | $383 to $457 for the vehicle, plus admission and lunch | About ¥32,000 rail return, plus local fares and ¥1,600 admission |
| Park Admission | ✓ Included | ✗ Paid at the gate | ✗ Paid at the gate |
| Lunch | ✓ Soba at Shibu Onsen, included | ✗ Bought on the day | ✗ Bought on the day |
| Hot Spring Bath | ✓ A Shibu Onsen public bath, towel loaned | A photo stop at the village on some itineraries | Possible if the timetable allows |
| Time at the Monkey Park | 2 hours | 1 to 2 hours | As long as the last bus permits |
| If a Connection Slips | The operator re-slots you | ✓ Your driver waits | ✗ Yours to solve, and the last bus back is early |
| Check Dates | See Charters | View Options |
More Options
Private charters, temple combinations and rail-side day trips, side by side.
MOST REVIEWED
PER-VEHICLE FARE
ENTRY INCLUDED
FIVE STOPS
GUIDE ON BOARDThe Rail Route
Faster than driving, and cheaper for one or two.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen reaches Nagano from Tokyo in eighty minutes on the fastest services — less than half the time a road charter takes, for about ¥8,000 each way. The catch is that Nagano station is not the monkey park: Jigokudani is another forty-five minutes up the valley, plus the walk. Which is where a local operator comes in.
Take an early train, meet a Nagano-based tour at the station, and you are at the park gate by mid-morning. The tour featured on this page runs about four and a half hours on the ground and puts two full hours inside the park — matching the longest allocation of any Tokyo road charter, without the seven hours of driving.
It also includes the three things the Tokyo charters all exclude: park admission, a soba lunch at Shibu Onsen, and entry to one of the village’s historic public bathhouses with a towel on loan. For one or two travellers, the train plus this tour comes in below a private charter and gives you more time at the pool.
| Two travellers | |
|---|---|
| Shinkansen, Tokyo–Nagano return | about ¥32,000 for two |
| Local tour, per person | $127 each |
| Park admission | included |
| Lunch | included |
Against a private charter at $383 to $457 for the whole vehicle plus ¥1,600 at the gate and lunch bought separately, the rail route is the cheaper of the two for a pair and the more expensive for a family of four. That break-even is the whole decision, and it is set out properly in the getting-there guide.
You do not have to book a tour at all. From Nagano station the Nagano Dentetsu line runs to Yudanaka — forty-five minutes on the limited express, about seventy on a local — and a Nagaden bus covers the last stretch to the monkey park stop in around ten minutes for ¥390. There is also a Shigakogen express bus direct from the station’s east exit, roughly forty-five minutes, which leaves you a thirty-five to forty minute walk from the park.
It works, and plenty of people do it. What you are trading is margin: the last useful bus back is earlier than you would like, the park closes at 16:00 from November to March, and a missed connection on a winter afternoon is yours to solve. A local tour absorbs that risk and the gate fee at once.
Book the tour first and the shinkansen second. Trains run frequently enough that you can fit a seat to the tour’s meeting time, whereas the tour has one departure. Reserved seats are worth having in the winter peak; the Japan Rail Pass does not cover the fastest Kagayaki services, so pass holders should plan on a Hakutaka, which takes a little longer.
If your group is three or more, compare this against a private charter before booking — the arithmetic flips. And whichever route you take, what to expect at the park covers the 1.6 km walk, the hours and the footwear. Ready? Check availability.
Guest Reviews
Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.
"We had such an amazing day at the Snow Monkey Park. The Lunch and Shibu Onsen Tour was awesome as well :D Umut, our Tourguide, was taking good care of us and we enjoyed this tour very much! I can highly recommend booking this tour and enjoy watching the monkeys and relaxing in one of the onsen later on. We also had spare time to do the stamps at Shibu Onsen. Thanks again, Umut & Shibs Tours 🤗"
"We had a fabulous day! The weather was perfect. The snow monkeys were there in great numbers and walked among us comfortably. They were entertaining as the babies chased through the small trees beside the Oath and the older ones were grooming and soaking. The onsen suited us perfectly as we were able to enjoy a private couple time. Soda noodle lunch plus so much more was wonderful. A side-trip to view a 351 foot waterfall was a bonus. The apple pie and snow monkey coffee at Enza Cafe finished our tour perfectly. Umut made the whole day from pickup to drop off absolutely wonderful. He was full of information about the tour itself, and also about life in Nagano, Japan, Turkye and his many roles in Shibs Tours including cleaning the onsen water supply pipes. He gave us time to be alone as well as remained readily available throughout our tour. Contact before repeatedly ensured it all went to plan perfectly and flexibly."
"Our guides were absolutely fantastic, accommodating and patient while.clear about expectations and very knowledgeable. We didn't feel like tourists with them."
"We had such a great experience on our snow monkey tour! Umut was a fantastic guide and did everything possible to make sure we had a good time. When the monkeys were not at the park in the morning, he figured out how to get us back to the park quickly when the monkeys showed up! It was really special to see the animals in their natural habitat!"
"Our guide was phenomenal, she was knowledgeable, friendly and very accommodating. We enjoyed the walk to the Monkey Park as our tour guide shared fun facts about Japan and we were able to take multiple pictures of the monkey’s. Lunch was special as the restaurant owner made fresh noodles for the ramen soup. And, we ended our day with the onsen experience. I highly recommend this tour!"
"What a delightful day we had with Umut and Rosa as our guides! We saw so many monkeys and their babies in the park, then had delicious soba at a local place they knew about in the small town of Shibu Onsen. After lunch experienced a local bath in town. Perfect time for our family."
"Our guides were attentive and very helpful in sharing anecdotes about the area with us throughout the day. The day went by quickly, and we managed to do everything on the schedule, if not more! Although the weather didn't seem very favorable, we saw many monkeys in the park bathing in the hot onsen. It was really a wonderful experience :) and the journey to get to the spot is easy, mostly flat, and very scenic. We then ate handmade soba at a traditional restaurant in Shibu Onsen that was not at all touristy. The experience was truly like that of a real local! Shibu Onsen is truly authentic, frozen in time, and collecting the nine stamps was a lot of fun :)"
"It was our best experience in Japan so far. I can only recommend booking this tour with the company. The guide was great!"
Read all 13 verified reviews
See All ReviewsPark admission, a soba lunch and a Shibu Onsen bath are all in the price, and the tour meets you at Nagano station. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Starting from $127 per person.
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Times, fares, connections and where the rail route stops making sense.
Eighty minutes on the fastest Kagayaki services, and up to about a hundred on the slower ones. The fare is roughly ¥7,680 unreserved or ¥8,340 reserved, one way.
Not the Kagayaki services, which are excluded from the pass. Hakutaka trains run the same route, take a little longer and are covered — plan around those if you are travelling on a pass.
Yes, and it is the reason the rail route often works out cheaper than it looks. Admission, a soba lunch at Shibu Onsen and entry to a public bathhouse are all in the fare. Every Tokyo road charter excludes all three.
Yes. The Nagano Dentetsu line runs to Yudanaka in 45 minutes by limited express or about 70 by local train, and a Nagaden bus covers the last leg to the monkey park stop in around ten minutes for ¥390. A Shigakogen express bus also runs direct from Nagano station's east exit in about 45 minutes, leaving a 35 to 40 minute walk.
Margin. The last useful bus back is earlier than you would like, the park closes at 16:00 from November through March, and a missed connection on a winter afternoon is yours to solve. A local tour absorbs that risk, the gate fee and lunch at once.
The tour. It has one departure time; the shinkansen runs frequently enough that you can fit a seat around it. Reserve seats in the winter peak.
At about three people. Two travellers pay two tour fares plus two return train fares, which still comes in under a private charter. Four travellers pay four of each, and a whole-vehicle charter wins.
Still have questions? Email us at info@snowmonkeysfromtokyo.com
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