Day 1: Tokyo to Jigokudani — Snow Monkey Day Trip
Shinkansen to Nagano & Bus to the Park
Catch an early Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Nagano — the journey takes 1 hour 20 minutes and costs ¥8,200 one-way (covered by JR Pass). From Nagano Station, take the Nagaden Express bus bound for Kanbayashi Onsen (departures every 30–60 minutes, 40 minutes, ¥1,500 each way). The bus drops you at the Snow Monkey Park entrance area, from where a 1.6km forest trail leads to Jigokudani Monkey Park. The walk takes 25–30 minutes through a beautiful cedar and oak forest — in winter, the trail is snow-covered and magical.
Japanese Macaques in the Hot Springs
Enter Jigokudani Monkey Park (¥800 entry) and witness one of Japan's most iconic wildlife scenes — wild Japanese macaques soaking in the steaming natural hot springs while snow falls around them. The park is home to around 160 macaques who descend from the surrounding mountains daily to bathe. The monkeys are wild but habituated to humans and will sit within metres of you. Winter is the prime season — the colder it is, the more monkeys huddle into the hot water. Watch for grooming behaviour, mothers carrying babies, and the social hierarchy playing out in real time.
Nagano City — Zenkoji Temple & Soba Noodles
Return to Nagano Station by bus and spend the evening exploring Nagano city before your Shinkansen back to Tokyo. Zenkoji Temple, a 15-minute walk from the station along the atmospheric Nakamise shopping street, is one of Japan's most important Buddhist temples — founded in the 7th century and welcoming visitors regardless of sect or gender since its inception. The evening approach is atmospheric with lantern-lit streets. Nagano is famous for soba (buckwheat noodles) — Sobazen or Fujiki-an near the station serve handmade soba in dashi broth for around ¥900.
