You’ve seen the photos of these cute, pink-faced
hairy monkeys with frosted whiskers bathing in steaming hot springs in the
middle of the snow? You can visit them all-year-round at ‘Hell’s Valley’ near
Nagano on a day trip from Tokyo – it’s a bit of an expedition, but here’s how;
The Snow Monkeys, Japanese Macaques, live at
Jigokudani Yaen-Koen Park near Nagano which is easily reachable from Tokyo by
Shinkansen train, from JR Tokyo Station. There are around 25 trains throughout
the day, and the journey takes around 90-100 minutes each way, you can use a JR
Rail Pass on most of the Shinkansen trains except for the super-fast Nozumi
ones. If you do not have a pass, the ride is around 8,000 yen.
From Nagano Station, look for the Zenkoji exit from
the station and the subway for the Nagano Dentetsu train (Nagano Electric
Railway, a private railway so you cannot use a JR Rail Pass) to Yudanaka, this
takes approx 50 minutes and costs 1,230 yen each way, and there are 7 express
trains per day, at 0908, 1046, 1208, 1338, 1457, 1714 and 1941. The return
Nagano Dentetsu trains back from Yudanaka to Nagano are at 0934, 1011, 1138,
1327, 1446, 1556, 1818 and 2049. In addition to these express trains there are
slower ones in between that take about 20 minutes longer.
From Yudanaka, take a bus or taxi to Kanbayashi
Onsen. From there, it’s about a 30 min walk to the Jigokudani Yaen-koen
entrance, entrance 500 yen adults, 250 yen children, open 9-4 November to
March, and 8.30-5 April to October. There’s no snow obviously in the summer,
but the scenery of Hell’s Valley is still spectacular.
When you get to the park, there are pathways through
the forest and to the special hot bath that was built for the monkeys, you’ll
see them lazing in there and in the trees and as you walk around. There are
about 200 monkeys living here and roaming free through the park, they are
perfectly friendly and you’ll be able to get very close to them, although you
should not try to feed them. You should allow a couple of hours to explore the
park, you will need footwear that can cope with lots of snow in the winter, mud
and monkey poo the rest of the year!
If you would like help planning a private day tripin Japan from Tokyo or Kyoto, please see our website www.ReadyClickAndGo.com or
email us at Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com ReadyClickAndGo arranges private day tourswith your own English-speaking guide in Japan and throughout Asia.
