Nagano Snow Monkey 1 Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch from Tokyo
Overview
Available languages
13 hours
Mobile ticket
Leave Tokyo for a day and head north to Nagano Prefecture!
The departure from the Shinjuku area (LOVE OBJECT) is scheduled for 08:00. Please ensure you are gathered within 07:45. Please note that the bus journey to Jigoku Valley takes up to three and a half hours, with two to three stops at service areas en route.
Upon arrival, enjoy a delicious Japanese-style set meal of beef sukiyaki for lunch!
Afterwards, you will have the opportunity to see the famous monkeys of Jigoku Valley! They are accustomed to human presence, so you will be able to take some incredible photos. However, remember that touching, staring directly at them or feeding them is prohibited in order to ensure their safety and well-being.
If you travel between late January and late February , your tour will also include a visit to the magical Kamakura snow huts.
We are scheduled to arrive back in Tokyo's Shinjuku district at around 8 pm (9 pm during the period when we will stop by the Kamakura snow huts).
Additional Info
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
As it is stipulated by the law of Japan, please wear your seat belt on the tour bus.
Please make sure to arrive at the meeting point on time. After the scheduled departure time, the tour will depart at the discretion of our staff, and latecomers will not be allowed to join the tour midway. Please note that no refunds will be issued if you arrive late.
Scheduled times and contents are subject to change depending on road conditions.
Please note that the monkeys of Jigoku Valley are wild animals and might not be present when we visit the Jikoku valley. Do not engage with the monkeys and do not stare them in the eye as they might become violent.
Please note that the monkeys do not spend the majority of their time in the water.
Please note that the lunch described above might have a different menu according to provisions.
Please note that the Kamakura no Sato Festival is only open between Jan 23 and Mar 1, 2026.
Please note that it will takes more than 30 mins by walking from the Parking Area to Jigokudani Yaen-koen
Please come prepared with non-slip shoes; crampons will be also sold onboard, upon availability
Please note that from mid-March, monkeys may not enter the hot springs depending on the weather on that day. Even in late March, on days when it snows you are more likely to see monkeys.
What To Expect
Shinjuku
7:45am Meet with your tour guide at Shinjuku LOVE: 6 Chome-5-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0023 Note: ①How to get there: If you come from JR Shinjuku Station: walk from the West Exit (about 10 min) If you use the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line Nishi-Shinjuku Station: 2 minutes from exit E7 ②How to find the tour guide: Tour guide will hold the HIS logo blue flag or HIS logo meeting board at the meeting point.
11:30 am Lunch :Delight in a sumptuous beef sukiyaki lunch at Shinshu Fruit Land, where you can also shop for local delicacies and souvenirs.
Options
Standard 7:45am meeting time
Snow Monkey Park Duration: 12 hours Beef Sukiyaki Lunch Tokyo-Nagano-Tokyo Air-conditioned bus
Snow Monkey Tour
What‘s Included
Guided commentary during the ride to Jigokudani
The lunch will be "Beef Sukiyaki". Beef can be changed to pork, and also vegetarian (w/ egg and dairy) or vegan (100% plant-based) options are available. Please, let us know about this when booking.
English guide
You will be able to purchase snacks at the service area during the return journey, but please note that this is not included in the tour cost. In the event of heavy traffic, the time may be limited.
Crampons (optional, sold onboard the bus)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
158 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Best guide and assistant
O4121ONjohnm,Apr 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Best guide and assistant we have ever had we have mobility issues so many times have to skip activities. The staff did not give up on us and made sure all of us did the activities reached the top and enjoyed the snow monkeys. This was not enough in their customer care and support they went much beyond and helped us to get on the train to get back to our hotel as we did not know the language or have any net. This was so so so kind of them we could not have done it without their kindness and understanding. We are very grateful 🙏 to both your staff. They are a credit to your organization. They were so clear with their guiding and we're the best in our entire Japan trip. Thank you 😊 🙏
Great way to see the snow...
Teresa D,Apr 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great way to see the snow monkeys when not included in your own tours schedule. It is a long distance from Tokyo and would be hard to get there by yourself. The transport was comfortable, with good leg room, access to wi fi and comfort break. The meal provided was a local speciality but you need to consider getting food on return journey as delays can mean you are too late back to get an evening meal. The monkeys put on a lovely show and we were lucky to see so many, with some even taking a dip in the hot spring pool. A long day but was worth it for me.
Great experience with...
Paula S,Apr 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great experience with professional and friendly guides and drivers. Lunch was delicious and the snow monkeys super cute.
Recommended it.
Quyen L,Mar 31, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00The monkeys were so cute, and lunch was delicious. Our tour guide Shin was kind and pleasant, and we got Japanese candies.
A long walk to see them but they are cute (just wanted them to be cuter)
Brian A,Mar 30, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00This was a trip we had wanted to do ever since we booked our return to Japan. We had a high level of expectations, and the reality didn't quite live up to them. It was a warm day, so the monkeys weren't bathing in the pool, but that is NOT the fault of the tour operator. There were monkeys there around the man-made pool, and they were cute, ignoring the humans and doing what they wanted to do. The lunch was great, and the tour was well organised once we found our guide. TIP - The meeting places have hundreds of people milling around. Know who your guide is and shout their name as the flag/tour name isn't always the same as on the instructions. WARNING - it is a 1.8km walk/trek, with some steep terrain to where the monkeys are, so take that into account before undertaking the trip. If we are honest, we probably overfaced ourselves, but really glad we did it. I would recommend, provided you are fitter than us! I would also say that if the weather was 'ideal' for the monkeys bathing then not sure we would have been able to make the trek
Great experience in nature
Kiwicat5,Mar 30, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Awesome tour. Shin our guide was very entertaining and informative. The track was very manageable and hardly muddy at all. If it was snowing it would be much harder. Much warmer than we were expecting too. The monkeys were very cool and came up very close. One thing to note was the trip back took 5.5 hours due to Sunday night traffic. So be prepared for that possibility. Otherwise a great trip!
Monkey Mania
Jenni T,Mar 28, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00It's a long drive and quite a walk to the compound but certainly well worth it. The tour guide and driver were awesome ! The monkeys are quite social and unafraid of the humans wandering around watching them and taking photos - sometimes you would think they are posing for you! I love nature so enjoyed every single minute of being around them.
Snow Monkey Outing.
naomil952,Mar 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I had a great time. The tour guide, Ichiro Yamagutchi, was so friendly. I was just a few minutes late due to a confused taxi driver, and Igiro-San waited the two to three minutes so I would not be left behind. Furthermore, the traditional lunch was delicious and a cool activity as the food cooked in your personal bowl. I loved the monkeys. They were so unbothered. The snow monkeys were calm and living their own monkey lives. I would recommend this outing to anyone.
Monkeys were good, the rest was a little odd
839stuartd,Mar 26, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00Firstly, the snow monkeys are amazing and totally worth going to see. Secondly, this tour was kind of bizarre to me. I’ve done many tours in different countries and typically I’ve come to expect a lot information to be shared by the tour guides. Be that historical about a certain location, or even just about themselves, I always have found that tour guides can be very talkative and fun. It makes the trip more interesting and engaging. On this one it was very different. Don’t get me wrong, the tour guide was very friendly and gave some information but it was almost exclusively just itinerary information - I.e. were about to stop, come back at this time etc. For the first time ever, I’m not sure I learned anything. Now the bus ride is super long. I think it’s almost 8hrs total in a bus and I would never expect any tour guide to talk for even 25% of that. But it was basically silence for the entirety of the bus journey. To me, that’s very odd. The guide was asleep for a large portion of the journey back to Tokyo. In his defence, he did seem to be a little unwell so maybe that played into it. Next part that was odd was lunch. The food was decent, a good sized portion and all set up when we got there which is fine. That said, there were three of us that were solo on the trip and we were placed separately from everyone else on the tour. Like the kids table at a wedding or a small group of lepers. Overall, seeing the snow monkeys made it worth it but if you want an interactive tour or to learn anything, this is not for you. Make sure you’ve got a book to read or some podcasts downloaded as it’s mainly just sitting on a bus.
Great Tour
Trisha H,Mar 25, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Tour was awesome. Alot of driving but hiking to see the snow monkeys was well worth the drive. Seeing them in their habitat was amazing. Our guide Shin was excellent.
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