We had an early start to the day so that we could catch the famous bullet train from Tokyo Station (depart 7:20am) to Nagano (arrival 8:37am). In order to save time this morning, we booked our Shinkansen tickets at the JR East ticket office yesterday when we were at Shibuya Station (able to pay by credit card at the ticket counter, but not at the self-service ticket machines; I had booked our other Shinkansen tickets from Tokyo to Kyoto via SmartEx which serves JR West only – the variety of train operators in Japan is confusing). To our surprise, we were treated to a clear view of Mount Fuji less than 15 minutes after our departure (choose window seat E & D on this route).
Getting to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park
Upon arrival at the local train station in Nagano, we opted to purchase a “Snow Monkey Pass” for 4000 JPY each, which included transportation by bus to/from the park (located around 35km/50-minutes to the northeast of central Nagano City) and the park entrance fee. For the pass, no credit cards are accepted at the ticket counter, but we were able to use our Suica IC card for payment at the self-service ticket machine. Then, we quickly made our way to the bus station next door to catch the next bus to the park that departed at 9:04am and arrived at Kanbayashi Spa Area around 10am. It was about a 10-minute walk uphill from the bus stop to the lower entrance to the park where we climbed a series of steps then entered a peaceful snow-covered trail through the trees for a 1.8km walk to the true park entrance (this is where admission tickets are sold). This is not an accessible walk if you have mobility issues, especially during the winter. In fact, we used our crampons to make the walk through the snow and ice easier (we were seemingly the only ones who had them, which allowed us to traverse the terrain faster than others).
What makes these monkeys so special?
Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park is home to the snow monkey otherwise known as a Japanese macaque. It is the northernmost monkey species as virtually all other monkey species live in tropical or subtropical climates. A monkey species with the ability to survive in the snow is extremely rare, which is why the Japanese macaque has been dubbed the “snow monkey.”
The snow monkeys of Jigokudani are well known for enjoying the hot springs, but the truth is that they generally do so only during winter to escape the cold. Other ways of warding off the cold include cuddling up to one another and basking in the sun on clear days. In other words, the snow monkeys use a variety of techniques to keep themselves warm during winter. It is important to remember that this is not a zoo, and that the monkeys come and go as they please. They don’t come to the Park just for the hot springs either. They visit all year round, not just in winter, so it is likely that you can see them at any time of year (although, I highly recommend going to the Park when there is snow since it adds to the magic of the area). We observed staff throwing out food for them near the hot springs and on the surrounding hillside, so this likely incentivizes the monkeys to frequent the area (especially during opening hours of the Park).
All about the Snow Monkey Bathing Pool
- Approx size: length 4 m x width 10 m.
- Water temperature: Approx. 41°C at perimeter in winter (Approx. 60°C-70°C near outlet)
- Some snow monkeys like very hot water, and they will gather close to the outlet. Those who prefer the water a little cooler will stay close to the perimeter.
- Typically, it is only females and their young that go in the hot springs. Males, who account for around 25%-33% of the troop, generally avoid getting wet. One theory for this is that they need to appear strong, but wet fur makes them look small and weak. The young, meanwhile, follow their mothers into the water from an early age and are perfectly used to getting wet. They will often continue bathing in the hot springs after reaching adulthood. In this way, the habit is passed down through the generations.
Once we had our fun with the monkeys, we left the park around noon, stopping for lunch at Enza Cafe on the walk back (highly recommend getting apple pie for dessert; no GF options; able to pay with credit card). We caught the 2pm bus back to Nagano Station from the park. Ideally, we would have liked to have had more time to explore the sites of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, but the transit time to/from Tokyo made this a long day (and we’re supposed to be resting for a marathon!). We then purchased our return Shinkansen tickets from Nagano (depart 3:22pm) back to Tokyo (arrival 4:50pm), and we grabbed dinner at Kitade Tacos in the ticketed area of Tokyo Station before heading back to our hotel. Taco Tuesday in Japan! Who knew these Texans could find such good Mexican food in Japan? (cashless payment only so credit cards okay; GF friendly due to corn tortillas)
We made it back to our hotel by 6pm so that I could purchase Olympic tickets for a future adventure (I’m always scheming for more travel!) and set up a taxi for an early morning ride tomorrow. Stay tuned for that!