Nagano Snow Monkeys Day Trip & Sukiyaki Lunch from Tokyo

4.60

(157 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect the bus ride out of Tokyo to feel so… quiet. Maybe it was the early start, or maybe everyone was saving energy for the snow monkeys. Our guide, Emi, pointed out Mt. Asama on the way — I only half-heard her because I was busy watching the landscape turn from city gray to white fields. Somewhere near Nagano, we stopped at a service area and I grabbed a hot can of coffee from a vending machine. It warmed my hands but not my toes, which were already regretting my choice of socks.

Lunch was beef sukiyaki at Shinshu Fruit Land — honestly, I thought it’d be touristy but it tasted like something someone’s grandma might make. The broth was sweet and savory and there were these mushrooms that soaked up all the flavor. Emi explained how locals dip everything in raw egg (I tried, made a mess). There was a little shop with apples and weirdly cute pickles — I bought some for later but forgot them on the bus.

The walk to Jigokudani Monkey Park took about 35 minutes, through trees weighed down with snow. My breath fogged up my glasses every few steps. When we finally reached the hot springs, there they were: snow monkeys just lounging in the steam like they owned the place. One baby monkey scratched its ear and stared at me — not sure who looked sillier. Someone behind me whispered “don’t stare too long,” which made me laugh (but I stopped anyway). The smell of sulfur mixed with cold air stuck to my scarf for hours after.

If you come between late January and February, there’s this extra bit — Kamakura snow huts glowing softly against the dusk. We ducked inside one for a minute; it was smaller than I thought but oddly peaceful. On the way back to Tokyo, everyone dozed off except Emi, who told us stories about growing up in Nagano. I still think about that walk through the woods — so quiet except for boots crunching snow and those strange little monkey faces watching us pass by.