This thrilling day trip pairs a stop at Jigokudani's renowned Snow Monkeys with a morning of adventure in Shiga Kogen's deep powder - Japan's biggest ski resort! With lunch included and an English-speaking local guide leading the way, this tour offers a winning combination: snow monkeys + plenty of snow = unforgettable fun in Shiga Kogen! Group tour operated by Snow Monkey Resorts Tours.
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The Highlight
- Discover Shiga Kogen - Japan's largest ski resort! - and have fun snow-scooting, snow-biking, and sledding in the beauty of the snow-covered landscape
- Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant at the ski resort
- Visit the world-famous Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani and learn all about what makes them so unique
- With multiple pick-up points in Nagano City, Yudanaka, Shibu and Kanbayashi Onsen - nearby the monkey park!
The Experience
- This tour offers several pickup locations throughout Nagano City, as well as Yudanaka, Shibu, and Kanbayashi Onsen. Your guide will help everyone board the bus efficiently before departing for the high mountain terrain. Being Japan's biggest and highest-elevation ski resort, Shiga Kogen's closeness to the monkey park makes it an ideal spot to discover Nagano's powder snow!
- You'll be taken to Maruike's ski slopes - one of numerous ski zones within Shiga Kogen - for a morning filled with snow activities, featuring a designated play area where you can try snowscoots, snowdrives, and classic sleds and tubes. Perfect for families, those who feel comfortable have the chance to ride a nearby ski lift with the guide's supervision.
- During your time there, you'll pause for lunch at a restaurant overlooking the slopes. Your guide will give you a meal voucher to choose from menu items such as katsu curry, katsudon, hamburger steak, pizza, sansai soba, and various udon dishes. There's enough variety to help you warm up before departing the mountains and continuing to your next destination, Kanbayashi Onsen – the location of Jigokudani Monkey Park.
- Reaching Kanbayashi at approximately 13:20, your guide will escort you down the woodland path into the monkey park, where you'll encounter these fascinating animals. Being the only monkey troop worldwide documented to use hot springs, Jigokudani's monkeys have gained international recognition, and watching them engage in their daily activities – searching for food, playing, grooming one another, and naturally, relaxing in the thermal waters – is an essential Nagano experience!
- You'll have ample opportunity to observe the monkeys before exiting the park and returning to the bus around 16:00, with the tour ending back at Nagano Station at approximately 17:30, including a drop-off at Yudanaka Station (upon request) and Hotel Kokusai 21 (please be aware that winter weather and road conditions may affect exact arrival times).
(Travel Agency License No: Nagano 2-562) Snow Monkey Resorts Tours 2159 Kurita, Nagano City, Nagano, 380-0921 Japan Tel: (+81)26-219-6272 Member of All Nippon Travel Agents Association Travel Service Supervisor: Azusa Fukuhara
Guide Services
Languages Spoken by Guides
- English
Itinerary
- 08:20Hotel Kokusai 21
- 08:45Nagano Station
- 09:30Yudanaka Station
- 09:35Shibu Onsen Visitor Center
- 09:40Hotel Sẹnukaku, Kanbayashi Onsen
- 10:30Maruike Family Ski Park with snow fun activities and enjoy lunch
- 12:45Board the bus and depart Shiga Kogen for the monkey park.
- 13:20Arrive at Kanbayashi Onsen, and walk up to the trail entrance and along the forest trail into the park - 1.6km / 1 mile in both directions.
- 16:00Back to Nagano
- 18:00The tour concludes at Nagano Station
Price Details
How to Use
- Voucher will be sent via email. Please show your e-voucher at designated location.
Important Booking Information
- A minimum of 2 participants is required to book this tour.
- The temperature in Shiga Kogen is cold and could be as low as -5°C to -15°C. Please be dressed in warm, waterproof clothing and boots for snow activities. If required, clothing including snow jackets, snow pants, and snow boots can be rented from us (JPY 500 per piece). Please note that there is limited availability for snow outfits, so if you have waterproof, warm clothes fit for snow activities, please bring these with you on the day of the tour.
Guests are required to walk in and out of the monkey park along a 1.6km / 1 mile trail. In winter, the trail and park will be affected by snow and ice. This walk should not be attempted by anyone who is mobility impaired, in a wheelchair or cannot confidently walk an extended distance over snow and ice. Snow fun activities also require guests to be of reasonable fitness and mobility to enjoy. If you have concerns about your or a member of your groups ability to handle the conditions, please contact us to discuss prior to booking. Rental boots (JPY 800) are available close to the monkey park, if required. Crampons (metal spikes that attach underneath your shoes/boots) can also be purchased, if required.
The transport used for this tour depends on the size of the tour group. For smaller tours groups, we will use the express train service from Nagano Station to Yudanaka Station followed by a private vehicle to and from the ski resort. For large groups, we may arrange our own transport i.e. small tour bus, from / to Nagano Station and all listed destinations.
- The tour itinerary can be reversed and we may visit the monkeys first followed by lunch and Shiga Kogen, depending on weather and road conditions and other factors on the day. We do so in an effort to provide guests the best possible experience on the day.
- 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.
- This tour does not include skiing or snowboarding, nor is there the time to arrange your own skiing and snowboarding while at the resort.
- There are a few days in the year that the monkeys might not come down to the park or that the monkeys leave the park early. While this is unlikely to happen, it is possible and is outside of our control.
- While unlikely, should weather or road conditions make it impossible to access Shiga Kogen, we would switch the activity to a visit to Zenko-ji Temple. As we cannot confirm weather conditions until the day of the tour, we would not be able to notify guests of the change in advance.
- If snow conditions are inadequate to conduct the tour, we will endeavour to notify guests in advance of the day and provide the option of switching to our 1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake Tour.
- Infants (0-5) are free of charge. An infant lunch is not included and the order will be made directly to the restaurant according to your needs. We also cannot guarantee that a seat on the tour transport will be available for infants and they may be required to sit in the lap of an adult.
- This tour is insured however as the guest, you are required to have your own travel insurance which covers snow activities including riding chairlifts and using snowdrives, snowscoots, sleds, and tubes. Please confirm that your insurance policy covers this activity prior to the tour.