Yamanouchi Reviews

Beautiful place with enough monkeys. I do think it could be a little bit disappointed if there is nog snow so keep an eye on the weather forecast!

I walked 1,6 kilometers, but I can't say the joy of seeing the monkey, and it really heals me. I felt that the gentle eyes of foreigners looking at monkeys are universal.

Amazing adventure. We did get there a bit late as it closes at 4 and we got there at 245. But even though we only got about 20 min in the actual park it was amazing. Great photo opportunities and the walk is beautiful as well. We made the trek with a 4 year old and he did complain a bit it wasn't as bad as we though. We got lucky and some monkeys were on the trail about halfway through so that motivated him to keep going. It was also snowing so playing in the snow occasionally helped break up the monotony. The trail starts out steep but quickly levels out for an easy going walk. Definitely a must do if you're going to Nagano. This monkey park was actually 2 hours out of our way from our hotel and I still think it was 100% worth it.

I went to the summer, so walking from the parking lot was a hell. It will take about 20 minutes. There are also a few climbing mountains. A great landscape and a monkey once you arrive!
It was summer time so no one entered the bath, but there is a monkey beside him. Good luck with Instagram. However, do not let the eye meet the monkey. It is scratched as fighting sold.

There are many stables, but they are all flooded at 6 degrees, disappointed.

Best way to get there is buying the pass for 3200. We took the bus and the walk through the forest was worth the trip let alone the monkeys. Warning there is a bit of a hike up there but I have bad knees and was able to do it. Worth the trip

Visited in winter, I could see monkeys entering the hot spring in the snow, just as I often see in pictures.
A lot of monkeys were seen close by and it was a wonderful experience.
If you have a chance to visit again, I definitely want to visit in winter.
However, care must be taken when visiting this snowy season. I think it is better to have shoes that do not slip even on snow.
We have to walk about 40 minutes on the frozen snowy road to the place where monkeys can be seen. I was very worried about not doing it.
Also, the road is narrow and there is no such thing as a fence, so you will walk carefully.
Many tourists from overseas seemed to know the area, and many of them were wearing winter hiking shoes.

Amazing location with a huge number of monkeys that are just doing their thing and ignoring the people around them. Most worth the diversion to experience it.

Truly a pleasant experience. It snow the night before which makes our walk to the park a beautiful one. A quiet and tranquil walk because we went there early.. We were also blessed to see the snow monkeys in abundance and also soaking in the Onsen. Our family truly enjoyed the experience...

I have a lot of monkeys. But we have to walk from the bus stop for about 30 minutes until we reach the onsen. Walking is a walk in the forest. Snow will cover the corridors. Walking must be slippery. We did not go to sleep, but this year snow is not much. The weather is not cold. I do not know what to do.

A good healthy walk to get to it, but, worth it. I was there in the spring and the monkeys were quite relaxed. None of them were in the water but it was fun to see them any way. There were lots of them and plenty of action.

Fantastic place to take photos at monkeys taking their bath ... no privacy

Awesome place to visit. The monkeys are cute but some can be quite aggressive. Make sure you don't show any food near or inside the park. If visiting, check the weather forecast to bring appropriate gear. The walking track might be slippery.

I think that it is a place to go during the snow season
There were a lot of tourists from abroad.
However, it is better to wear shoes and clothes as it will be a place to walk for about 20 minutes and go to see. Because it was frozen, there was a dangerous road a little, but I decided not to fall!

You can see monkeys soaking in the hot springs or snuggling together to get warm, but it takes about 20 minutes to get to the park gate. The road that freezes along the road is a little slippery, be careful.

You can enjoy it just by looking at the monkey and the hot spring. You can watch calmly without feeling like attacking or biting with a gentle monkey.

Fantastic better to go early as it can get crowded.

Must either bring your own or buy crampons from the gift shop. Would be a great idea to have a stainless steel tumbler with you along with some teabags/coffee/hot choc since they provide hot water at the top. Bring some high energy snacks too because hiking uphill for 1.6km, staying out in the cold to look at the monkeys, and hiking down afterwards will take quite a bit of energy from you. There's a decent restaurant nearby (Enzo) serving chicken ramen, chicken karage, fries...etc. which would make a good place to recharge before heading downhill. Warning: if you took off your crampons in the restaurant, make sure to put them back on before leaving the restaurant. There was ice everywhere including right in front of the restaurant! Monkeys were indifferent with human presence. There'll be lots of opportunities to take your perfect shot. It'd do this once, and call it a day since I'm not crazy about monkeys.

There is a toll parking lot in the vacant lot and it is drawn in, but it is worth going
There is no place where you can get so close to the hordes of Wansaka and monkeys.

This is an amazing experience all in all. Yudanaka is well worth the visit on its own. We came in winter and to see the houses with the pretty gardens all covered in snow was a real treat. The monkey park is a fair walk up a mountain and if you go in winter the ice can be a little treacherous so depending on how comfortable you are with your balance you may want to consider taking snow spikes for your shoes with you or buying some at the store at the bottom of the hill up to the park. I think they were 1350 yen. The park itself is really pretty small and it can get densely packed with a lot of people there so you may want to try and get there pretty early. We got there at 3pm and it wasn't too bad. I've read bad reviews but for me I don't think you can find an animal experience quite like this. The macaques will walk around you and barely acknowledge that you're there so you can get pretty close. It's amazing just to see them playing out their day in front of you. I'm so glad I went but the only reason this place isn't a five is because it is a little small and I think the images you see of the place maybe misrepresent it a little bit. I would still thoroughly recommend going.

Fun, reasonably long walk to the spring, take shoes for mud.

The long walk to the Monkey Park is beautiful and very much worth it - the site is amazing. The monkeys are the highlight, obviously.

Must go there.
Cutest monkey , cool trekking.

A must see if you love monkeys. We saw so many walking around & a few hit the spa (hot spring) while we were there. A highlight of our trip!

In my opinion, worthy experience. 40 minutes by train from Nagano to yudanaka. Then 10 minutes by bus from the station at the beginning of the road to the park. 30 minutes of flat path in the woods. At Nagano station you can buy a daily pass for train, bus and park entrance for 3200 yen, instead of around 4000 yen.

A flock of 160 lives naturally protected by the mountains. You can keep a good sense of distance from each other and get a glimpse of the smiling family. In the summer, you can take a bath because the open-air bath looks hot. Look for a parking lot on the riverbank. It is a shortcut.

The place was a highlight in my trip to Japan. It is just amazing to enjoy nature without disrupting it. The original family who owned the land still live there ! We slept in their home (they rent rooms). I think it makes the experience 10x better. Don't just visit the park, stay the night !!

Overrated. Long walk to the hotspring area thru muddy path. More humans than monkeys.

After a short steep walk from the carpark, the Macaque monkeys do not disappoint. Great photo opportunities.

It was a beautiful 25 degrees when we went so the monkeys had no interest in getting into the thermal pools! Still lovely to see them and walk amongst them. They weren't bothered by humans and just did their own thing. We parked in the 500yen parking spot - at the end of a very skinny winding road. The walk to the park took about 15mins along the waterways and up some hills. Once at the park it was 800yen for adults and 400yen for children to enter. Well worth the trip - would like to come back in winter, but I'd suggest a bus tour as the road to the park would be treacherous with snow to contend with also.

The monkey is very cute. Walking past people are not afraid. But we didn't catch him Very cute The way to see the distance is not very far. But the way to this place is very frantic because the path is melting snow. And a little bit of ice, shoes should be prepared for walking on ice, it will be a little safe Because the road is very slippery and very cold

A little touristy but still incredible to see the monkeys running and frolicking around. The pay-to-enter part let you get up close to the monkeys which made it worth it. Sadly, being spring and quite warm, none of the monkeys were taking advantage of the hot springs but it was still fun to see them sunning themselves on the grass.

For me, this place was a unique experience. I like to come back here to admire the little monkeys in the hot thermal springs.

Before the park, you need to walk 2 km on foot, and he himself is not that big. Monkeys sometimes scare, because they are really wild

Long dirt road on foot to get there, and the monkey space is fine (albeit small, but that's what it is). Access lockers and services are horrible and dirty, half abandoned

The walk was difficult. Be careful it's super slippery in January. Lots of people fell. The monkeys are totally worth the trek. Bit smelly. But worth it.

Monkeys everywhere! Didnt seen bothered by people and you could get very close for photos etc. Wasn't too busy and even saw some monkeys in the onsen despite the weather being pretty warm. Nice 30 min walk from the bus stop through the forest to the park.

Probably one of the most interesting attractions I have ever been to in Japan! It was cute seeing the monkeys soak around in the hot springs. They were very carefree indeed and pretty much ignored the humans around them. Do respect rules such as no feeding, no touching! Happy monkey, happy humans.

A truly wonderful place even when it's busy, the path to it is well-maintained and not very treacherous. The monkeys are a delight to watch as they go about their business and even weave between people's legs on occasion. An excellent place to bring children.

The monkey sitting in physical education and bathing in the hot spring was cute.

Nice place you will enjoy the walk. It's 35 mins walk from the point the bus stops. While you go you will see lot of scenatic views to enjoy. While we went we had snow fall as well.

Great, awesome and cool! We saw 2 baby monkeys and around 50+ adults. Don't look them too long in the eye though! They're still wild animals. Fun hike up from Yudanaka onsen as well.

It's possible to get very close to the monkey. There is an artificial pool where they hang out. It's about 1.5km to get there but I kind of wished I could have kept walking further into the park, it looked beautiful. It's probably limited for conservation.

If I went again I would wait until it was colder, maybe late January, as the monkey didn't need to warm up in the pool much.

The pictures say it all. Place is a bit remote, you are not guaranteed to see the monkeys (check out local live cams or Facebook page), but if you are as lucky as I were... this place is simply amazing.
It was a relatively warm day so the monkeys did not spend too much time in the hot springs.
However, they are roaming around around visitors, which is a unique and lovely experience.
I strongly recommend if you are in Nagano s vicinity!

If you have a spare day whilst in Hakuba definitely check these monkeys out. If you go in winter bring warm clothes and proper boots as it gets extremely slippery. At the start there is a information centre where you can buy crampons for shoes if you aren't comfortable. Allow 30 minutes each way to the monkey's and another 45 minutes with the monkey's.

Crazy experience. A bit of a hike through the mountain, a hair above 1mi, but monkeys along the way and monkeys galore at the park. They didnt enter the bath, apparently it needs to be quite cold for them to do so, but a bunch were hanging out close by. It looks like the park maintenance people through some seed or something down to keep the monkeys happy and close to the bath.

Great park, in the summer the monkeys won't be in the bath but will be around it

Muddy, slushy trudge to see a bunch of monkeys. I left a more detailed review at the Google Maps entry for the Snow Monkey Resorts Info and Gift Shop. Ref these photos for what the walk is like.

I was healed when I saw the monkey in the hot spring.
It was already snowing at the end of November.

There are two types of parking lots, but if you use the toll parking lot (500 yen) that goes around from the Shibu Onsen side and passes through a narrow mountain road, it takes about 15 minutes to reach the entrance.

Entrance fee, 800 yen for adults

It was full of monkeys and foreigners
There were so many monkeys jumping into the hot springs and it was very cute
I wonder if it gets cold after going up ('_'?)
The big monkeys were a little scared and passed each other so that they wouldn't match each other
There were also pictures and explanations of successive Boss Monkey Dragon King .

After all it is recommended to go on a snowy day as the name suggests. The hill before we arrived at the parking lot was snow-removed, and 4WD with mud and snow was fine.
It seems that management and maintenance have been established with the money that Gaijin drops, so you should not go if you are not satisfied with it.

Beautiful place, monkeys are really indifferent to people which is good :)

This place is awesome. Seeing all the snow monkeys was a great experience.

Incredible experience! Spending a few hours with snow monkeys is something you'll never forget. It's best if you get there early right when they open.

A must visit place to visit ! One can spend around 1- 2 hours here. One has to get down at Yudanaka Station , take a bus from outside to kanbayashi bus top and after that walking for around 30 minutes to reach to the ticket counter. Ticket costs 800 yen for Adults! During winters especially around February one can encounter snow as well

Wild monkeys coexisted and prosperous over the years. So far, not only domestic but also foreign tourists have come.

Very fun place to go for rest. The fresh air and monkeys were great.

This place is more beautiful in winter time. Walking under snowing is very amazing. Monkeys are bathing in onsen, mostly female and kids. From Ueno, Tokyo we take direct train to Nagano. After that we take bus which was awesome. In one day you can see monkey park.

In winter, the walk from the carpark to the park itself, is a joy, with trees on both side. In winter, can see snow covering them. The walk took about half hour. Although the path can be wet, but with the right shoes, walking along should not be a problem.
There are many monkeys in the park, with a hot spring pool where the monkeys will take a soak in it. There's also a stream where the monkeys will stay around. The monkeys seems familiar with people and we can get quite close to them.
We can see both adults as well as younger and little monkeys. There are feeding times where all the monkeys will crowd around and even fight for food...
Environment is nice.

It's not a huge park. Rather small in fact. Beautiful scenery around. Informative. Nice if you never saw monkeys before

Very good place, the road is not difficult, the monkeys are funny.

I was surprised that the monkey was too accustomed...
There were a lot of little monkeys and it was cute.
Barrier-free is not supported,
Strollers and wheelchairs are not allowed.

Monkey park is good to visit during the winter season. Beautiful walk through the forest up to the monkeys. Be sure to wear correct footwear!



Little disappointed that they feed the monkeys, small food pellets on the ground which they were foraging for.

Very busy and a little too touristy for me

*be sure to check online as sometimes can be closed due to weather conditions

The macaques unfortunately had other interests at this time

Located at the Yamanouchi town in the Nagano Prefecture, my partner and I travelled to this park via the Nagano Dentecu Private line to Yudanaka Station at Yamanouchi Town. Before we boarded this train, we purchased the entry fee and travel fee at the ticket booth for 2000Yen. At the Yudanaka Station, we took a shuttle bus to the closest bus stop to the Park and walked along a trail for 20-30 minutes to the park. Entry at the Park is 500 Yen (adults), 250 Yen (kids).
We visited in late Spring (Early May) and found that the novelty of the place wasn't as exciting as visiting in the winter when the Monkeys are more likely to bath in the open-air baths. It was still a pleasant visit, as the monkey's are very comfortable with having visitors around, just be sure not to provoke the monkeys by throwing things or being too close to them because they will lunge at you to force you to back away. In the Spring, they mostly drank from the baths or leapt over the river from one side to the other which was a interesting to observe.
As wild animals, the place generally does have an unpleasant odour as they defecate and urinate whenever and where-ever they please so I would mind where I step or sit when visiting.

Worth hiking up for, we saw so many monkeys up-close and got a great view of Kyoto.

The begining of September - saw more than 100 monkeys in the area. Some of them walk outside the perimeter of the onsen.

Wonderful stroll up the mountain to the monkey onsen in the snow. Very slippery when covered in ice. Be careful.

Nice beautiful walk to the park. Very friendly monkey.

simply unique ... see the snow monkey "clans" resting in Onsen in the middle of the mountains. It's surreal!

Hope Japan government will build a toilet half way on the walk to Onsen.

1 of the highlights of my winter trips to Japan.

Went twice. Jan & Dec 2015.
Jan: lost of snow but too crowded
Feb: no snow but not crowded and more monkeys
Both month is equally beautiful.

You can get up close and personal with the snow monkey.
Onsen is smaller than I thought. During peak, it will be very crowded and there will be uncivilised people that pushes around. So let then take the photo first because thy are usually with tour and have limited time to be there.

Tips:
1. Avoid China holiday time or there will be alot of pushing around :(
2. Less crowded the later it is. So take you time, don't rush. The tour busses will go early in the morning.
3. Check out the cafe at the bottom of the park. Very good spicy ramen.
4. There is no toilet until you reach the top. Which is 45mins to 1 hour later. So remind older folks to pee first before you take the walk.

Their website link to the live camera at the park. So you can check the snow level.

Dope place, even if there is a lot of tourist. Worth it!

It is a mysterious place where people are not afraid, but rather treated like air. It's a short walk from the parking lot and a little over the road, which is close to mountaineering. The live camera is used to broadcast monkeys soaked in hot springs online, so you can see yourself reflected on the live camera in real time when you access the site. If you are lucky enough to be in the open-air bath at the inn, you may be mixed with a monkey.

Awesome experience, started by a beautiful hike through the forest. I recommend to take good hiking shoes as it may be slippery. At the end of the trail most of the monkeys were basically just on the other side of the valley playing in the sunny snow. Great to watch and spent time.

It is dangerous because it is necessary to walk 25 minutes on a frozen road which is slippery in winter. It costs 800 yen for entrance fee. The facility itself has many monkeys nearby and it is more fun than the zoo.

A must do experience viewing and interacting with the snow monkeys!

Too crowded with tourists to really enjoy yourself but being in nature surrounded by beautiful mountain scapes and snow, sublime.