Our pick
Snow Monkey 1-Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch from Tokyo, H.I.S.
The coach leaves from Shinjuku I-Land, a short walk from the station's west exit, and heads up the expressway with two or three stops at service areas on the way. The guide uses the three and a half hours to explain the park, the rules and the walk, so by the time you reach Nagano you know not to stare at a monkey and not to carry a plastic bag with food in it. Lunch comes first, a beef sukiyaki at Shinshu Fruitsland that you cook yourself at the table; pork, vegetarian and vegan versions exist if you send a message when you book.
Then the part everyone came for. From the car park a trail climbs about a mile through cedar forest to the gorge, and the park ticket is already in the guide's hand. You get around two hours for the walk up, the pool and the walk down, which is enough for most people and tight for photographers. Between late January and the end of February the tour adds the illuminated Kamakura snow huts on the way home. Back in Nishi-Shinjuku around 8 or 9 pm.
- Price
- from ~$150 per person, GetYourGuide often shows it reduced to about $120
- Duration
- About 13 hours door to door
- At the park
- About 2 hours, trail included
- Rating
- 4.6 / 5 (GetYourGuide) · 4.6 / 5 (Viator)
- Meeting point
- Shinjuku I-Land, Nishi-Shinjuku; ends at the Cocoon Tower nearby
- Walking
- About a mile each way, uphill, stairs, ice in winter
- Group
- Up to 44 on a full coach, a smaller coach with fewer bookings
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 hours, pay later on both sites
How the day runs, step by step
Departure times move with the season. The order below follows the listing and what recent guests describe:
From Shinjuku
- Meet at Shinjuku I-Land in the morning, seatbelts on
- About 3.5 hours up the expressway, with two or three service-area breaks
In Nagano
- Beef sukiyaki lunch at Shinshu Fruitsland, about an hour
- A 30-minute drive to the Kanbayashi car park below the gorge
- About 2 hours for the trail and Jigokudani Monkey Park
- The Kamakura snow huts, late January to the end of February only
- About 3.5 hours back, dropped at the Cocoon Tower in Nishi-Shinjuku
What the price covers
The ticket buys the coach, the guide, the park entry and a cooked lunch. Crampons and the optional snow-hut souvenirs are on you.
Included
- Round-trip coach from Shinjuku and a live English-speaking guide
- Jigokudani Monkey Park entry
- Beef sukiyaki lunch, with pork, vegetarian or vegan on request
- Entry to the Kamakura snow huts during the festival weeks
Not included
- Crampons, sold on the coach for the icy stretches
- A hotel pickup, or any drop-off outside central Tokyo
- A refund if you miss the departure
- A fish or chicken lunch option
Between us, before you go
A word from one long-haul passenger to another. Thirteen hours is the honest length of the day, and the ride back can stretch to four or five in weekend traffic. Several recent guests wished for more time at the park, and one pair jogged the last stretch of the trail to make the coach. The listing itself says the monkeys do not spend most of their time in the water, and that from mid-March bathing depends on the weather. It is sold to international visitors only.
Wear boots with grip and buy the crampons on the bus if there has been snow. Our packing guide for the monkey park covers the cold, the ice and the camera.
Why it beats doing it yourself
On your own the same day means a Shinkansen ticket, a local train, a bus and the walk, which is a fine adventure in dry weather and a puzzle when the snow is falling and the bus timetable is in Japanese. Here the guide carries the tickets, the lunch is booked and the coach waits. For a couple it also costs less than two train fares. Snow monkeys without a tour runs the numbers both ways.
Who we would not send on it
Anyone who gets carsick, who will be happier on the Shinkansen tour for the extra money. Photographers who want a quiet hour by the pool, who should look at a private driver and an early start. And families with small children, for whom the mile of icy stairs at the end of three hours in a coach is a lot to ask; snow monkeys with kids explains what works.
Book it if
You want the monkeys without a single timetable to read. The coach does the driving from Shinjuku, a guide explains the park and the rules on the way, lunch is cooked at the table and the entry ticket is already paid. All you bring is warm layers, boots with grip and a charged camera.
Skip it if
- Want the train instead of a coach? Try JTB Sunrise Tours, from ~$293
- Want your own car and timing? Check the private driver, ~$127 per person
- Traveling as a family or five friends? Go with Luxurious Travel Master
- Going in summer? Read our month-by-month guide first
Ready for the steam?
The regular price is the same on both sites, and both let you cancel for free up to 24 hours before and reserve now, pay later. GetYourGuide has twice as many reviews and often shows a discount; pick whichever account you already have.
