• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Foodie Explorers | Eat | Stay | See | Cook
  • Cook
  • Drink
  • Eat
  • See
  • Stay
  • Subscribe
  • About Emma & Mark
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Cook
  • Drink
  • Eat
  • See
  • Stay
  • Subscribe
  • About Emma & Mark
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Cook
  • Drink
  • Eat
  • See
  • Stay
  • Subscribe
  • About Emma & Mark
×

Home » Asia » Japan

Travel: Snow Monkeys in Yudanaka, Japan

02/05/2016 by Emma Leave a Comment

Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

Visiting the snow monkeys of Japan

The Onsen (hot spring) towns of Yudanka and Shibu have another draw,  a park inhabited by Japanese Macaques, also known as Snow Monkeys.

Reached by train on the Nagano Electric Railway's aptly named "Snow Monkey Express,  Yudanaka is a small town with 9 public baths in addition to the natural spa facilities provided by the hotels.

Our accommodation for the night was Shimaya, a ryokan, which is a traditional style inn with tatami mats, a bed on the floor and low furniture. You can't wear shoes inside a ryokan and yukatas (a type of robe) are also provided. If you arrive early enough on the day you check in the owner will drive you to the Monkey Park and pick you up again. We arrived too late so we're taken the following morning, along with some other guests, before check out. At Yudanaka railway station you can pick up information sheets on how to make your own way to the monkey park should you stay somewhere that doesn't provide this service. Note that the walk to the Monkey Park is uphill from the station and will take over an hour both ways. There is also a bus (see below).

Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

The walk from the main entrance to the ticket office is approximately 1.6km, or 30 mins walk for a healthy person.

The peaceful forest is punctuated with signs about the monkeys.

Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

Before reaching the ticket office we were treated to our first monkeys.Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

Here you can see the ticket office with a souvenir shop and toilets inside.Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

500 yen for adults, 250 yen for children (about £3/£1.50).Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

As it is sunny the monkeys were reluctant to lounge in the warm springs.  Instead catching the sun, chilling out, posing and grooming.

 

Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorersSnow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers
Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

The staff threw seeds into the springs to encourage the monkeys in for some cliché photo settings. They seemed to know what was expected.

Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

All aboard the Snow Monkey Express Train

Snow monkey Japan yudanaka travel glasgow foodie explorers

Snow Monkey Express Train

Note that you may have to take 2 trains on the Nagano railway (from Nagano, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1998) to get there, which could take between 1 hour 11 minutes to 1 hour 51. There's an express train every hour or so taking 44 minutes and if you get this one you can sit at the front of the train as the driver controls it from a room above!

Address:  Jigokudani Yaenkoen
Yudanaka-Shibu Onsen, Yamanouchi town, Nagano prefecture, Japan

Opening Hours: Summer (April to October) 8:30am-5:00pm | Winter (November to March 9:00am-4:00pm
Admission fee - Adult 500yen, Child 250yen
Jigokudani Monkey Park

« Event Preview: Pickerings Gin at The Waldorf, Edinburgh
Event Preview: Music and Beer with Estrella Galicia »

About Emma

Has been eating and drinking for far too long. Usually found hibernating on a couch, snuggling a cat.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

SUBSCRIBE to Foodie Explorers and never miss out

foodie explorers shop
Foodie Explorers us

Hello!

We are Emma and Mark and we are a couple who love to discover the world around us through food and travel.

We are award-winning bloggers (Most Dedicated Food Blogger from The Scotsman) who have years of food and travel passion behind us. Join us as Mark learns to use his WSET training and Emma learns how to write up a recipe properly!

More about us→

Member Guild of Food Writers

Find us also in SNACK magazine - click to get the latest issue.

Snack magazine logo

The information posted on this website was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About us
  • Contact
  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy

Stay

Eat

Drink

See

Guide to Glasgow

Recipe Index

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2007 -2022 Foodie Explorers