- adult entry until 30 November 2026, with a fee rise announced from 1 December
- ¥800
- the months when the macaques bathe in the hot pool, according to the park
- Dec to Mar
- on foot each way through the forest, from the car park or the bus stop
- 30 to 40 min
On this page
The Jigokudani Monkey Park (Jigokudani Yaen-koen) is a valley at 850 m in the mountains of Nagano where wild Japanese macaques come down to a steaming hot-spring pool. The bathing happens mostly from December to March. The monkeys live in the valley all year, but outside winter they rarely get in the water. Entry is ¥800 ($5) until 30 November 2026, and the pool is a 30 to 40 minute walk through the forest from the road. From Tokyo, count about 3 hours each way by Shinkansen to Nagano, train to Yudanaka and bus. Facts below were checked on the park's official site and on Nagaden, the local rail and bus company, on 14 November 2026.
Snow monkey tours from Tokyo and Nagano
A tour takes care of the three changes of train and bus, which matters most on a day trip from Tokyo in the snow.
From Tokyo: Snow Monkey 1-Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch
A full day by coach from Tokyo to the Jigokudani macaques in Nagano and back, with a beef sukiyaki lunch included.
4.6(362 reviews)
- 1 day
- Free cancellation
From $107per person
See prices & availability
Nagano: Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Day Trip
A guided day from Nagano Station: the Jigokudani macaques, the Zenko-ji temple and a sake stop on the way.
4.9(1,003 reviews)
- 8 to 12 hours
- Free cancellation
From $137per person
See prices & availability
Tokyo: Private Snow Monkey Park & Nagano Scenic Day Trip
A private day from Tokyo for a group of up to five, with the snow monkey park and sights around Nagano.
4.9(235 reviews)
- 10 to 11 hours
- Free cancellation
- Pickup included
From $415per group
See prices & availability
Snow Monkeys & Best of Nagano: Togakushi, Zenko-ji and more
A private tour from Nagano that pairs the snow monkeys with Zenko-ji and the Togakushi area, from 5 hours.
4.8(58 reviews)
- 5 to 9.5 hours
- Free cancellation
- Pickup included
From $125per person
See prices & availability
When do the snow monkeys bathe? Jigokudani season by season
The park is clear about it: the monkeys get into the hot spring when it turns cold, from about December to March, to cope with winter nights below minus 10 °C. The valley is under snow for almost a third of the year, and January and February are the surest months for the classic scene of macaques with snow on their heads. The park also stresses that it is not a bathing facility for people: the pool is for the monkeys only.
The rest of the year is different, and many guides skip this part. In spring the babies are born and the troop is lively. In summer the monkeys stay around the valley but bathe little. Autumn is the weakest season, because food is plentiful higher up and the official site warns that there are days when no monkey turns up at all. The park can also close without notice for weather or animal behaviour, and it gives no guarantee you will see them.
Two tools cut the risk: the park publishes a weekly forecast of how likely the monkeys are to appear, and it runs a live camera on its website. Look at both on the morning you go. The park names no best hour of the day. Mid-morning, once the troop has come down to the valley, is the usual choice of photographers, and the last hour before closing is quieter but darker in winter. For the snow and the cold elsewhere in the country, our guide to Japan in winter covers the ski areas and festivals around the same weeks.
Jigokudani Monkey Park tickets, entrance fee and opening hours in 2026
| What | Price or hours |
|---|---|
| Adult (18 and over) | ¥800 ($5) until 30 November 2026 |
| Child (elementary to high school) | ¥400 ($2.50) |
| Under 6 | Free, with an adult |
| Annual pass | ¥5,000 adult, ¥2,500 child |
| April to October | 8:30 to 17:00 |
| November to March | 9:00 to 16:00 |
| Closing days | None, open every day of the year |
The park has announced a fee revision from 1 December 2026. Its notice sets adult entry at ¥1,000 ($6) at the gate and ¥880 ($5.50) with an online ticket, and ¥500 or ¥440 for children from elementary to high school age. Children under 6 stay free. Arrive at least 30 minutes before closing, since the walk alone takes that long.
Since August 2026 the park sells an online ticket for a chosen date, and from December to April visitors who hold one get priority entry. It is a priority, not an obligation, but on a winter weekend it saves you the queue at the gate. At the window, credit cards and electronic money are accepted, while QR code payments such as PayPay are not.
How to get to Jigokudani Monkey Park from Tokyo
The route runs through Nagano: Shinkansen from Tokyo, then either the Nagaden train to Yudanaka and a short bus ride, or a direct express bus from Nagano Station. Times are the official ones given by the park.
| Leg | Time | Fare and passes |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo to Nagano, Hokuriku Shinkansen | 79 min on the fastest train, up to about 100 min | About ¥8,000 to ¥9,000 one way, covered by the Japan Rail Pass |
| Nagano to Yudanaka, Nagaden limited express | 38 min | Train fare plus a ¥100 limited express fee, not covered by the JR Pass |
| Yudanaka Station to Snow Monkey Park bus stop | 15 min | Local Nagaden bus, a few hundred yen |
| Nagano Station to Snow Monkey Park, express bus | 41 min | Winter combined ticket, see below |
| Bus stop or car park to the monkeys, on foot | 30 to 40 min | Free |
The Shinkansen leg is the expensive one, and it is the only part a Japan Rail Pass covers, since Nagaden is a private company. Our Shinkansen guide explains how to book seats on the Kagayaki and Hakutaka trains of the Hokuriku line. At Nagano, the Nagaden platforms are underground beside the JR station.
Snow Monkey express bus and the winter combined ticket
From 5 December 2026 to 5 April 2027, Nagaden runs its express bus from the east exit of Nagano Station straight to the Snow Monkey Park stop every 20 to 30 minutes. For that season the bus is sold only as the Snow Monkey Pass for Bus, bus plus one park entry, bought online on Webket: ¥6,800 ($43) return for adults, ¥3,400 for children, or ¥3,800 one way. It cannot be bought on board or at a convenience store, sales open 90 days ahead and close the day before, and over New Year same-day sales can stop. Before 4 December the ticket is sold at the counter on the ground floor of the Nagano Station east exit.
Snow Monkey Pass on the Nagaden train
Nagaden also sells a rail version of the Snow Monkey Pass: a day of unlimited Nagaden trains, the return local bus from Yudanaka and the park entry. The spring and summer edition cost ¥4,800 ($30) for adults and ¥2,400 for children and was on sale until 30 September 2026, from ticket machines at Nagano, Obuse, Yudanaka and other stations. The winter 2026-27 price had not been published when we checked, so look at the Nagaden site before you go.
By car, there are two car parks. The free Kamibayashi Onsen car park is about 2 km and 30 to 35 minutes on foot from the monkeys. The Jigokudani car park, ¥500, is only 15 minutes away, but it is reached by a narrow forest road from Shibu Onsen that is closed in winter and not open to large vehicles.
The walk to Jigokudani Monkey Park: trail, snow and what to wear
From the bus stop or the Kamibayashi car park, you follow a forest path, the Yumichi, that is unpaved, with some slopes and steps, but mostly flat. The park counts about 2 km from the car park, and other guides quote 1.6 km for the forest section. In summer it takes 30 minutes, in deep snow closer to 40. You may cross a Japanese serow or squirrels on the way, and in the warm months the park warns of snakes and bees.
In winter the path is packed snow and ice. The park advises snow boots and light crampons (simple strap-on spikes), and walking shoes with grip the rest of the year. Wheelchairs and carts cannot be used on the path. With a pushchair you face unpaved ground and steps, so a baby carrier is the safer choice, and the park asks that children under 6 stay within arm's reach at all times.
Jigokudani Monkey Park rules for visitors
The monkeys are wild, they come close to the path, and staff can ask visitors who ignore the rules to leave. The official list:
- Never feed them, and do not show or take out food.
- Do not touch them or reach out a hand, even when one sits next to you. They bite.
- Do not stare at a monkey close up or open your mouth wide: for a macaque, both are signs of aggression.
- If a young monkey comes up out of curiosity, step away.
- Photos and videos are fine, but keep the camera back. No cameras in the pool, no drones and no selfie sticks.
- No pets, and the park states that assistance dogs cannot enter either.
- Do not pick plants or catch insects or animals.
Shibu Onsen, Zenko-ji and Obuse: what to combine with the snow monkeys
Shibu Onsen and Yudanaka
Shibu Onsen, a few minutes by bus from the park road, is an old hot-spring street of wooden inns with nine public baths, the soto-yu. Guests of the town's inns get a key that opens them, and the tradition is to do the round of all nine in yukata and geta. Yudanaka, at the end of the Nagaden line, has more inns and larger hotels. A night in a ryokan in either village turns a rushed day trip into an easy visit, and our guide to ryokan and onsen explains how to choose one and how the baths work.
Zenko-ji temple in Nagano
Zenko-ji, one of the oldest and most visited temples in Japan, stands at the top of the main street of Nagano, about 30 minutes on foot or a 4-minute Nagaden ride (¥170) from the station to Zenkojishita. The grounds are free. The inner chamber of the main hall, with its pitch-dark underground passage where you feel along the wall for the "key to paradise", costs ¥600 ($4) according to japan-guide.com. It fits in the morning or on the way back before the Shinkansen.
Obuse, Hokusai and chestnuts
Obuse is a small town on the same Nagaden line, between Nagano and Yudanaka, so you can stop there on the way. It is known for chestnut sweets, sake breweries and the Hokusai-kan, a museum of the painter Hokusai, who spent time in the town in his old age. Half a day is enough.
Skiing at Shiga Kogen and Nozawa Onsen
Shiga Kogen, one of the largest ski areas in Japan, is reached by bus from Yudanaka, and Nozawa Onsen sits in the same corner of northern Nagano. Plenty of skiers spend a rest day with the monkeys. Lift prices and the best weeks for snow are in our guide to winter and skiing in Japan.
How long to spend at Jigokudani, and is a day trip from Tokyo worth it?
At the pool itself, 30 to 60 minutes is enough for most people. Add the walk and the bus, and the park takes about half a day from Nagano Station. From Tokyo the door-to-door journey is about 3 hours each way with good connections: 80 to 100 minutes of Shinkansen, 40 minutes of Nagaden or express bus, then the walk.
A day trip is doable. Take a Shinkansen around 7:00, reach the monkeys before midday and be back in Tokyo for dinner. But it is six hours of travel for an hour with the monkeys, and in winter the park closes at 16:00, so a delayed bus or heavy snow eats into the visit. The easier plan is one night in Shibu Onsen or Yudanaka, with Zenko-ji on the way there or back. If you only have a few days in the capital, our guide to things to do in Tokyo will fill them better, and our page on the best time to visit Japan shows how a January or February trip fits with the rest of the country.