1-Day Winter Tour From Nozawa Onsen: Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake
Recommended by 100% of travelers
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Nagano, Japan
- 8 to 9 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Nagano is best known for its ski slopes, but this full-day tour from Nozawa Onsen covers its cultural experiences that are just as worthwhile. Your day starts at Jigokudani Monkey Park to watch Japanese macaques bathing in natural hot springs, then moves to Zenkoji—one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan—after a warming local lunch. Finish on a high with a guided sake tasting at a local brewery.
- Experience lesser-visited areas of Nagano on this cultural day trip
- Forgo travel hassles with hotel transfers and transit between the sites
- Gain a deeper understanding of region’s history and culture from your local guide
- Avoid the tourist traps with a local lunch included in the price
What's Included
- Transport from / to Nozawa Onsen and all listed destinations
- Jigokudani Monkey Park entry ticket
- Lunch
- Guided tour at Zenko-ji Temple
- Guided 'sake'-tasting
- Additional food, snacks & drinks
- Optional entrance fee to the inner sanctuary of Zenko-ji Temple
- Shinkansen / 'Bullet Train' tickets
- Accommodation
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
End points
This activity ends in a different location. See details below:
Itinerary
1
Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Japanese Dining GOEN
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Zenko-ji Temple
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Nishinomon-Yoshinoya Sake Brewery
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour includes a reasonable amount of walking including to and from the monkey park along a 1.6km (1 mile), unsealed forest trail. Please sure your footwear is approriate and you are dressed accordingly for the season.
- This tour is not wheelchair accessible and may not be suitable for mobility-impaired travels. Should you have any concerns about your ability to join the tour, please contact us to discuss prior to booking.
- Guests are required to follow the Snow Monkey Park rules at all times. Guests are not permitted to touch, hold, feed or bathe with the monkeys at any time.
- There are no barriers separating the monkeys from visitors to the park. Please ensure you keep a minimum distance of 1 to 2 meters between yourself and the monkeys. Your guide will explain the rules prior to entering the park.
- From mid-December until early-April the trail and park are likely to be affected by snow and ice. Please ensure that you are wearing suitable shoes/boots and warm clothing. If required, rental boots are available close to the monkey park and crampons (metal spikes that attach underneath your shoes/boots) can also be purchased. From mid-December until early-March please wear suitable clothing for temperatures potentially below 0°C (and as low as -10°C).
- During the winter it is common to see the monkeys enjoying the hot spring however from spring up to autumn there will be times where the monkeys play or eat in the water, however please note that the monkeys are wild animals and there is no guarantee that there will be monkeys in the bath.
- There are a few days in the year that the monkeys might not come down to the park, arrive late or leave early. While this is unlikely, it is possible and outside of our control.
- This tour includes lunch at 'Japanese Dining GOEN', a popular local restaurant. On rare occasions it may not be possible to use this restaurant in which case we would switch to another, comparable location. Please note that the restaurant may change their menu from time-to-time and the tour lunch may different to images shown on this page.
- This tour is scheduled to conclude at Nozawa Onsen by 18:00. However, due to weather and road conditions in winter we cannot guarantee the end time.
- All listed events, activities, and experiences are subject to availability. Please note that while certain tour options may appear bookable through our platforms, this does not guarantee that every experience can be carried out as scheduled in the tour itinerary. Many activities require direct confirmation with our partner venues, and availability may vary based on the date and other factors. Should any part of your ordered itinerary require adjustment or deviation from the original schedule, or if a specific experience is unavailable, we will contact you promptly to discuss suitable alternatives or amendments.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 44 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 42 reviews
Robert_O, Mar 2026
Dillion was an amazing guide. His deep knowledge was put to the test by our endless curiosity. If he didn’t know the answer he knew who to ask. We had a wonderful day that just kept getting better. We expected the snow monkeys to be the highlight and they certainly were, but the rest of the day was just as fascinating. Lunch was delicious and the conversation never slowed. The temple tour was quite interesting and Dillion shared his knowledge and personal experience freely. We bumped in to another tour group and their guide learned a few tidbits from Dillion. We enjoyed a little free time to explore and sampled a few treats at the temple complex. The final highlight was learning about the Sake brewing process and sampling a variety of excellent variations. A truly informative and adventurous day.
FarToGo, Mar 2026
Thoroughly enjoyed the walk to snow monkey park and the apple pie after.
The temple tour was outside my interest though I loved the buildings.
Sake tasting was fun.
Overall a great day & very good value. Maybe 9 hours was a bit long (at least for me)
Andrew_G, Mar 2026
Such a fun tour and our guide Lin made it even better! I’d do the whole tour over again when I come back !
Chelsea_L, Mar 2026
The best day with the best guide! Everything from seeing the monkeys to lunch, the temples and sake tasting was awesome. Our guide was so knowledgeable and knew everything we needed to know about the area. Definitely recommending to friends and family.
Kathryn_K, Feb 2026
The tour to Jigokudani Monkey Park with Lynn was absolutely exceptional. From the moment we arrived, her knowledge and enthusiasm made the experience so much richer. We saw around 200 monkeys, with several relaxing in the onsen — an unforgettable sight and even more fascinating with Lynn’s insights into their behavior and the park’s history.
Beyond the park, the day was perfectly rounded out with a visit to the charming town of Nagano, where we enjoyed wandering the streets and finishing with a wonderful sake tasting.
This was easily one of the highlights of our trip — highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the area!
Helen_C, Feb 2026
Great day. Well organised and very enjoyable. Lovely lunch. Beautiful walk through the forest to the snow monkeys took about 25 minutes.
Teresa_C, Jan 2026
It’s been a wonderful trip, schedule and bus ride was arranged perfectly. Tour guide was being caring and gave very thorough intro of each sites.
Rachel_F, Jan 2026
Our guide, Jens, was phenomenal! Extremely knowledgeable and SO friendly. Excellent tour that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Justin_G, Dec 2025
A really enjoyable, fun family experience with a great guide. The walk is icy but beautiful, and the monkeys are special, particularly for the kids. The afternoon was relaxed and fascinating.
Shawn_C, Jan 2025
We had a great day out with Yama! We loved that there were only two large groups. The monkeys were great fun to watch and the walk through snow laden pines to see them was lovely! Lunch was a welcome surprise and we really enjoyed the temple and our wander through the town. Sake tasting was delish although we would have appreciated even more history and details. Overall, it was a great way to spend a day and our adult kids loved it!
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Dear Shawn,
Your review made our day! We are pleased you enjoyed the day from the monkeys to the sake tasting. Your honest feedback about the sake tasting is much appreciated, and we will strive to provide you with more detailed tour explanations on your next visit. Thank you for choosing us, and we look forward to seeing you again!
Snow Monkey Resorts
Jodes_P, Feb 2023
Great day out with a fantastic guide and safe driver. Lunch was very tasty too! The guide was very knowledgeable and shared information in an easy going manner.
Janelle_J, Dec 2022
Best day! Exceeded our expectations! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and super friendly. We really loved how smoothly the tour went, pick up & drop off was great & on time, the Snow monkeys were amazing a real site to see, the lunch was delicious and a fun experience cooking our own Japanese hot pots at the table was very special. Can't recommend enough, great tour will tell friends this is a must do!
Response from Host, Jan 2023
Thanks for booking with us and thanks for the very generous review. We really appreciate all guests who book with us and very pleased to hear you enjoyed your day-out in Nagano. All the best in 2023!
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