Updated November 2026
Snow Monkey Tour from Tokyo (2026):
Jigokudani Fees, Hours, the Walk and Tour vs DIY
Japan's bathing monkeys live in a valley above Nagano, a train, a bus and a snowy trail beyond the shinkansen. Here is what it costs, how long it takes, and when a tour is the better way in.
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Admission
¥800 adult, ¥400 child
Winter hours (Nov–Mar)
9:00–16:00
Tokyo → Nagano
79 min at fastest
Walk to the monkeys
30–35 min, snow in winter
In short: Jigokudani Yaen-koen, the Snow Monkey Park, costs ¥800 for an adult and ¥400 for a child, and is open 9:00–16:00 from November to March (8:30–17:00 April to October). From Tokyo it is 79 minutes at fastest to Nagano on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, then 38 minutes on the Nagano Electric Railway to Yudanaka and a 15-minute bus — or a 41-minute express bus from Nagano — and finally about 35 minutes on foot on an unpaved trail that is snow and ice in winter. A snow monkey tour carries all of those connections for you and usually adds Zenko-ji; doing it yourself is cheaper but close to three hours each way. All figures from the park's own site, read on 3 November 2026.
Check snow monkey tours on Klook →What Is the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park?
Jigokudani Yaen-koen is a wild monkey park in the Yokoyu valley above Yamanouchi, in northern Nagano Prefecture. It has been open since 1964, sits at 850 m, and is famous for one thing: Japanese macaques sitting in a hot-spring pool while snow falls around them. The park's own pages describe winters down to −10°C with more than a metre of snow, and say the monkeys bathe to keep warm — mainly from December to March.
The monkeys are wild and come and go as they please. The park publishes a weekly forecast of how likely they are to appear and warns that on some days they may not come down at all, so check it before you commit a whole day from Tokyo.
How Much Is the Entrance Fee, and When Is It Open?
| Official figure | Note | |
|---|---|---|
| Admission, adult (18+) | ¥800 | Groups of 20 or more ¥680 |
| Admission, child (elementary to high school) | ¥400 | Under 6 free with a guardian; groups ¥340 |
| Opening hours, November–March | 9:00–16:00 | Arrive at least 30 minutes before closing |
| Opening hours, April–October | 8:30–17:00 | |
| Closed | No fixed closing day | May close without notice for weather, the monkeys' behaviour or natural disasters |
| Web tickets | Priority entry December–April | Bought online for a chosen date |
| Elevation | 850 m | Winter lows to −10°C and over 1 m of snow |
Fees, hours and closures from the park's hours-and-fees page; web-ticket priority from its home page; elevation and climate from its English "about" page. All read on jigokudani-yaenkoen.co.jp on 3 November 2026. The park posted a fee-revision notice on 20 September 2026 and changed to winter hours on 1 November; the figures above are what its hours-and-fees page showed after both.
How Do You Get From Tokyo to the Snow Monkeys?
Four legs and a walk. The first is fast; the last three are where the day is won or lost.
| Leg | How | Time | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo → Nagano | Hokuriku Shinkansen (Kagayaki, Hakutaka or Asama) | 79 min at fastest | Covered by the JR EAST PASS. Fare not printed here — see the note below |
| Nagano → Yudanaka | Nagano Electric Railway limited express | 38 min | Private railway, not JR — a JR pass does not cover it |
| Yudanaka → Snow Monkey Park stop | Local bus | 15 min | Included in Nagaden's SNOW MONKEY PASS (train version) |
| Nagano → Snow Monkey Park stop (alternative) | Express bus from Nagano Station East Exit | 41 min | Replaces the train and local bus. Nagaden also sells a bus-plus-admission pass |
| Snow Monkey Park stop → the park | On foot, unpaved trail | About 35 min | Snow and ice in winter; no wheelchairs or carts |
| Kanbayashi Onsen car park → the park | On foot, Yumichi trail (about 2 km) | About 30 min | The park's free car park. Mostly flat with some slopes |
| Jigokudani car park → the park | On foot | About 15 min | ¥500 per car — but the forest road from Shibu Onsen is closed in winter |
Times from the park's own access page, read on 3 November 2026; the pass contents from Nagano Electric Railway's own Snow Monkey page the same day. On fares: we print no yen figure for the shinkansen, the Nagaden train or the buses. JR East's site did not return a readable fare page, Nagaden publishes its fare table only as a PDF we could not read, and the third-party figures for the 2026-27 express bus disagree with each other — so check them at the station or on the operators' own sites. Our JR East Pass guide works out when the pass beats single tickets to Nagano.
How Long Is the Walk to the Snow Monkeys?
About 30 to 35 minutes in winter, whichever way you come. From the Snow Monkey Park bus stop the park gives about 35 minutes; from the free car park at Kanbayashi Onsen, about 30 minutes along the roughly 2 km Yumichi trail, which it describes as mostly flat with some slopes. The short way — about 15 minutes from the paid Jigokudani car park (¥500) — is a summer option only: the forest road up from Shibu Onsen is closed in winter and too narrow for large vehicles at any time.
The path is unpaved, with slopes, steps and stairs, and the park says wheelchairs and carts cannot be used on it. In winter it is packed snow and, in places, ice. Budget an hour for the round-trip walk plus whatever time you spend watching, and plan to be at the gate at least 30 minutes before the 16:00 winter closing.
What Should You Wear to See the Snow Monkeys in Winter?
Snow boots and, ideally, simple crampons. The park's own advice is boots or snow boots in winter (sneakers or hiking shoes the rest of the year) and to buy simple crampons — light slip-on spikes — in advance for a safer walk. Dress for the valley, not for Tokyo: the park describes winter lows of −10°C. Gloves you can use a phone in, a hat, and a bag that closes properly are the other three essentials.
Once inside, the rules are short and the park takes them seriously: do not feed the monkeys, do not touch them, do not stare closely into their eyes (a sign of hostility), and move away if a young one approaches. Photos and flash are fine; drones and selfie sticks are banned, and cameras must not be pushed towards the monkeys or into the bath. Dogs and cats — including assistance dogs — are not allowed.
Is a Snow Monkey Tour Worth It, or Should You Go Yourself?
| On your own | Snow monkey tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there | Shinkansen to Nagano (79 min at fastest), then train and bus or the express bus, then the walk | Coach or shinkansen with a guide; the connections are the tour's problem |
| Time on the move, one way | About 2 hr 50 min of pure travel and walking (79 + 38 + 15 + 35 min) before any waiting for connections | Longer by coach, similar by shinkansen — but nothing to miss |
| Park entry | ¥800 at the gate, or a dated web ticket — which has priority December to April | Check the listing for whether admission is included |
| Zenko-ji on the same day | Possible, but only if you start early: the temple is in Nagano city, the park is 41+ minutes beyond it | Most Jigokudani day tours on Klook build it in |
| What goes wrong | A missed bus at Yudanaka or Nagano, and the 16:00 winter closing coming faster than planned | Weather and traffic on the expressway in snow; a fixed amount of time at the park |
| Who it suits | Travellers with a JR EAST PASS already, or anyone staying a night at Shibu, Yudanaka or Kanbayashi | A single day from Tokyo with no night in Nagano, first-timers, and families who want a guide on the trail |
The decision rule: a single day from Tokyo with no night in Nagano — take a tour. Four legs, two small operators and a 16:00 closing leave little room for a missed bus. A night at Shibu, Yudanaka or Kanbayashi, or a JR EAST PASS already in your pocket — go yourself. Staying close turns the walk into a morning stroll before the day-trippers arrive.
When to book: join-in tours run to a fixed capacity on a fixed date, and the bathing season is only four months long, so book as soon as your date is fixed — holiday weeks first. Check the cancellation terms on the listing before you pay — snow on the expressway is the most likely reason a winter day changes shape.
When Is the Best Time to See the Snow Monkeys?
December to March, on a cold day. That is when the park says the monkeys bathe, and bathing is most common on the coldest, snowiest days. It is also when the park gives web-ticket holders priority entry (December to April), which tells you when the queues are. Go early in the day: the winter gate closes at 16:00, and a morning arrival leaves room for a late bus.
Outside winter the park is open longer (8:30–17:00 from April to October) and the monkeys are still there, but the park says they are reluctant to bathe in the warm months, so the bath scene is unlikely. If that photograph is why you are going, November and April are a gamble and summer is the wrong trip.
Can You Combine the Snow Monkeys With Shibu Onsen or Zenko-ji?
Zenko-ji is in Nagano city, where every route to the park changes, and it is the stop most Jigokudani tours on Klook add. On your own, put it on the way back — only if you left the park in good time — rather than on the way out, when the park's closing time is the one that matters.
Shibu Onsen is the old ryokan street just below the park, and Kanbayashi Onsen sits at the trailhead itself. Neither is really a day-trip add-on; both are the reason to make it an overnight. If you are skiing at Nozawa Onsen, there is also a winter-only Klook tour that brings the monkeys and Zenko-ji to you.
Where Should You Stay for the Snow Monkeys?
One night near the park turns a three-hour commute into a morning walk. These are four bases, from the trailhead itself to Nagano Station, each with a Klook hotel link.
- ▸Kanbayashi Onsen (Kanbayashi Hotel Senjukaku) — The hot-spring village at the trailhead: the park's free car park and the 2 km Yumichi trail start here, so you can be on the path before the day-trip crowd arrives. Hotels on Klook →
- ▸Shibu Onsen (Wafu No Yado MASUYA) — The old ryokan street just below the park, for a night between the monkeys and the train back to Nagano. Hotels on Klook →
- ▸Yudanaka (Hotel Tsubakino) — At the end of the Nagano Electric Railway, where the 15-minute local bus to the Snow Monkey Park stop begins. Hotels on Klook →
- ▸Nagano Station — The base that keeps every option open: the shinkansen from Tokyo, the Nagaden line to Yudanaka, the express bus to the park and Zenko-ji all start here. Hotels on Klook →
Hotel links go to Klook's own search for that area, which pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and availability are Klook's.
Do You Need Mobile Data for the Snow Monkeys?
Yes, on this trip more than most. Your web ticket, the bus times at Yudanaka and Nagano, and the park's monkey forecast all live on your phone, and the trail and bus stops have no hotel Wi-Fi. See Klook eSIM options → or compare providers in our best eSIM for Japan guide.
Common Questions
1. How much is the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park entrance fee?
2. What are the Jigokudani opening hours?
3. Can you do a snow monkey day trip from Tokyo?
4. How long is the walk to the snow monkeys?
5. When is the best time to see the snow monkeys?
6. What should I wear to Jigokudani in winter?
7. Is a snow monkey tour worth it?
8. Can you combine snow monkeys with Shibu Onsen or Zenko-ji?
9. Do you need to book Jigokudani tickets in advance?
10. Can you bring children, a pushchair or a dog to Jigokudani?
11. What are the rules at the Snow Monkey Park?
12. Does the JR Pass or JR EAST PASS cover the trip to the snow monkeys?
Book the winter date before it fills
Snow monkey tours run to a fixed capacity on a fixed date, and the bathing season is only December to March. Pick your day, check what the listing includes, and let the guide handle the train, the bus and the trail. Klook checks out in English and takes foreign cards.