Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple with Sake Tasting - Full-Day Tour

The tour begins at Nagano Station where your guide will meet you and once all guests have arrived, head to Zenko-ji Temple – please note, in winter we also offer pick-up in Hakuba (see below for details). As a registered National Treasure, the temple is the most important cultural site in Nagano and one of the oldest and most important Buddhist temples in the entire country! A place of truly historic importance, full of legends and myths, you will be guided around the temple before (time permitting) your guide will allow you to explore the surrounding precinct of smaller temples, shops, and food by yourself.

Home to a huge number of breweries, Nagano is synonymous with sake and no visit to the region is complete without delving into Japan’s most famous beverage. Your guide will treat you to a tasting before introducing you to the complex world of sake. We will then be sitting down for an early lunch! From delicious and warming beef, chicken, or vegetarian hot pot in the winter months, to mixed sushi plates and Nagano-style chicken or seasonal grilled vegetables through spring to autumn, meals are designed to match the season and highlight the best of Nagano’s renowned food culture.

After a fulfilling lunch, it’s time to head out of Nagano City, as you are transported to the Snow Monkey Park. Your guide will take you along the forest trail which leads to the park and into Jigokudani – rather dramatically translating to ‘Hell’s Valley’. Home to the only troop of monkeys in the entire world known to bathe in hot springs, no barriers are separating you from the wild monkeys, making this a unique and memorable experience.

Your guide will then accompany you back along the trail and soon have you heading back toward Nagano, the perfect time to sit back, relax, and look through all those monkey photos before the tour returns to Nagano Station and concludes at 17:35 and between 18:30 to 18:45 for guests joining from Hakuba ‐ winter only.

Meeting point options:

• 7:40am - Winter only. Hakuba Tokyu Hotel, 4688 Hokujo, Hakuba, Kitaazumi District, Nagano 399-9301

• 7:55am - Winter only. Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal, 5734-2, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun,

• 9:10am - Hotel Kokusai 21, Agatamachi-576 Minaminagano, Nagano, 380-0838, at the entrance of the hotel lobby,

• 9:35am - Main meeting point inside Nagano Station, Kurita, Nagano, 380-0921, in front of the Information Board directly across from the Shinkansen ticket gates.

• 9:55am - Nagano Patio Daimon in Nagano City

Important information

During the winter months, it is not uncommon to observe the monkeys enjoying the hot spring. However, from spring to autumn, there may be instances where the monkeys engage in play or foraging activities in the water. It is important to note that the monkeys are wild animals, and there is no guarantee that they will be present at the bath.

There are a few days each year when the monkeys may not descend to the park.

This tour is scheduled to conclude at Nagano Station by 5:30pm (and by 6:45pm for guests joining from Hakuba in winter). However, due to weather and road conditions in winter, we cannot guarantee the end time. If you are booking Shinkansen tickets to travel to Tokyo after the tour in winter, we ask that you do not book any service earlier than the 17:56 Kagayaki (reservation only) or our recommendation of the 18:23 Hakutaka. For guests booking onward tickets to other destinations, we also recommend doing so for times of 6pm or later.

This tour includes ‘sake’ tasting at Yoshinoya Sake Brewery (near the temple). You must be at least 20 years old to consume alcohol in Japan.