Yamanouchi Reviews

I was cute. I didn't get tired.
It is good to go in winter. It seems that monkeys won't enter the hot spring unless it's cold.
Shoes need to be non-slip. I walk on snow and frozen roads.

There are many foreign tourists.

You can't take a bath with a monkey. Just look.
But there was an inn near this hot spring and there was an open-air bath, so ...

You have to climb a road to get there. The length of time depends on the road conditions. It takes about half an hour to walk. If the road is frozen, be very careful not to slip. Entering the toll park, the monkeys are fluffy and cute, running around without fences, watching quietly, don't provoke them (don't stare at them within 1m to squat down), monkeys will not attack people. Watching them soak in hot springs in the snow is really healing ~

There are many monkeys and they are close to you and will not attack people. Although there are not many monkeys in the hot springs, it is still very interesting.

It maybe a good place in winter to visit
But huge distance to cover up if you plan to walk from bus stop

Didn't expect to see that many monkeys and have them walk so close. It was really a great experience

This park is famous for its monkeys that bathe in the hot springs in winter, but you can avoid the crowds and see these animals all year round. If you visit in early autumn you may even see some mothers and their babies.

Lots of monkeys that roam free, easy walk from bus stop to location. Cheap entry

If you want to see a monkey bathing in a hot spring, go on a cold and snowy day.
There are many monkeys on a cold day, but they don't soak in hot water.

It is something truly worth experiencing, but you must go when it's very cold

I had a monkey, but that's why? It was that kind of feeling.

The monkeys are cute and the park is very well-maintained.

With hundreds of monkeys that don't run away from you, you could take the best possible photos ever.

A short but lovely trip with great views and cute monkeys....

I will come to see you in November, I can not wait.

The only snow monkey onsen park in the world. It's about 200km from Tokyo. At the park, it's a lovely 30 minute or 2km walk from the entrance to the park. Full of tourists but everyone gets to have their chance at a shot with the snow monkeys.

Great walk throught the foresty hill on the way there. Monkeys were not shy and almost aware that people take pictures of them. There is an onsen right next this park.

One of the coolest things I've ever done in my life. Definitely a trek to get into the area with the monkeys, but it's an enjoyable walk and was beautifully snow covered while we were there. Monkeys are very used to people and while wander right past.

It's funny that monkeys don't think of humans at all

A must see! The monkeys are in their element. Great to go on a chilly or snowy day when the monkeys spend more time in the pools.

You can't touch or feed the monkeys, but it's a nice little trip anyway! Just a note that it involves a good bit of walking to get there (no roads at all). The walk is around an area called "the valley of hell" - don't fall off the sides of the paths! Wear shoes that will get you through the snow and ice. This is certainly in the mountains.

Such an amazing place to visit! It's a bit of a walk to the park from the road. Its a good idea to wear appropriate boots if you're walking in the snow. There are monkeys everywhere just chilling in the hot springs, but also just wandering around. We stayed right until closing time, where the operators of the park fed the monkeys with what looked like grains. There are no fences and it's a just like a reserve, so no cruelty there.

Amazing photo opportunities!

Lot of monkeys running around hot spring and mountains. I enjoy the park. Entrance fee is 800 Japanese yen. Every hotel has free shuttle to the parking lot where everyone need to walk to the park. Better in winter to visit because the monkey will soak in the hot spring showing their vuteness

Nice place to study the monkeys. Nice swimming scenes in the onsen.

This place where macaques are seen in the immediate vicinity, not in the cage like a zoo, is precious.

More than half of foreign tourists occupy the place, but the name recognition should increase from now on.

Long walk to get there, but good for seeing the monkeys. Best visited on a snowy or very cold day to see them use the hot spring.

Many monkeys out and about and a nice walk to get there

During feeding time the monkeys will not take their onsen, so check out the feeding times.

Bit disappointing when you walk a couple of kilometres to see"Snow Monkeys" and there's no snow. Path leading in could do with some gravel spread over it, as it was very muddy. All that said, worth the experience. It's remarkable how human like the monkeys behavior is, and they are quite used to having the attention.

Very novel sights,
Just have to go a long distance!

I visited at the end of May and it was very cute to see many monkeys up close!

First of all, the entrance fee is high
There are many elderly people with bad manners on the sightseeing route in this area The road is closed and you talk loudly, etc.
It's natural that it's far from the parking lot, so it can't be helped, but towels and drinks are essential in midsummer!
There is a free machine that serves cold water and tea at the shop and rest area. The building is still like Ata and the air conditioning is perfect

It's cool, but it's a long walk from the park entrance, and the snow monkey pool is a man-made contrivance for tourists. The monkeys come there because they get fed periodically and the pool works year-round.

TV "Can you charge Tetsuro Degawa?"
O (^ ^) o where you can see monkeys entering the hot spring

Unique place. A community of apes living in the middle of the icy mountain, enjoying a bath in a hot spring

Seeing the monkeys is great of course and they're not camera shy which can make for some great photo opportunities. I also enjoyed the walk up to the onsen although it can be quite slippery. The info boards in and around the gift shop provide great information about the snow monkeys with half decent English translations. Make sure you time how long it takes to get to the onsen from the bus stop as it may be a while before another bus arrives and there aren't many good restaurants nearby.

Uniquely japan..worth the picturesque 1 km hike to watch those cute monkeys of all sizes playing by the hot springs

I stayed at Yudanaka Onsen and stopped by to see a monkey soaking in the winter hot springs.
It's about 5km from Yudanaka Station, but you can't see the monkeys entering the hot spring unless you walk a 1km or more unpaved mountain road from the local parking lot.
Especially in winter, you can see many monkeys bathing in hot water, so you can forget about the cold and look at it.
Being used to people, monkeys will come near you, but please do not feed them.
Also note that it is dangerous to touch a monkey just because a little child is cute.
At the parking lot, souvenirs are sold inside the building, so many people buy merchandise to commemorate their visit.

Exceptional proximity to the monkeys to see imperatively

Lots of things written about the long hike up the path to see the snow monkeys, so won't elaborate on that except that crampons are really essential to avoid slipping and falling on the icy path.

The monkeys roam freely and what a carefree life they lead... Playing, eating, free hot springs Spa, cuddling together, running around.. Super cute!!

On the way back the path, saw a Japanese Serow high up in the slopes, it was walking very slowly and stealthily in the snow. Too far to get a good picture but amazing to be able to see it.

Overall, its worth visiting and spend a morning here.

There are many monkeys. If you're used to or approaching humans, you won't run away or attack. So you can stop by the monkey right up to you. It's a pity that I can only see monkeys in the hot springs unless it's winter.

If you like nature life, you need come to see them. This place is to enjoy the life of one of the closest relatives/Genus to humans. I really like seeing the behavior of monkey kids here. It's so cute and so funny.

Free parking by the park, cute baby monkeys, and monkeys chilling in the onsen, what more could you want. Definitely worth the trip out here:)

I wonder if winter is a good place to meet snow monkeys. It takes about 30 minutes to walk along the mountain road, but it is worth going. I didn't take a hot spring today, but I was able to see a monkey right by my side and was healed.

Walk for about 30 minutes from the parking lot. The road is unpaved and the road may be slightly muddy depending on the weather. You can rent trekking shoes at the shop at the entrance of the park. I think it was 400 yen.

Awesome experience! You have to walk a 1.5 km forest path to get to the area where the monkeys are. Sturdy footwear is appropriate, as the path to melting snow can be muddy. A visit is particularly worthwhile in winter and spring, since the monkeys usually bathe in the onsen when they are cold.

This has always been one of my favourite places in Japan, after being here a number of time, I would always give it a 5 out of 5, more if possible because it is such an amazing place. I visited today and my experience was less than half of what it used to be and I won't be visiting again. The first reason being the crowds (Nikon Otaku) with their big camera's and the main reason being the restrictions there. There are now barriers between the public and these "wild" monkeys. Now a good photo is nearly impossible to get without a $1000+ lens on your camera.

But there is a new (non hot spring) area build further down that I would recommend for a good (non hot spring) photo opportunity with slightly less crowds.

Moved to an artificial bathtub and raised viewing fees

Monkey bathing in hot water
. Nuff said.

There is a monkey. It will be sharp if you keep it for the camera

Monkeys that roam freely in a place with lots of hot springs.

Number one tourist trap in Japan. I was expecting to see wild monkies. Not fat grain fed pests.

Monkey bathing
People are dying next to each other

Monkey Gun Hot Springs are very cute, going back and forth for two hours

It takes about an hour from parking to enter the stables and it is necessary to wear snow claws in the winter. There are snow claws in the entrance of the park to rent about 1500 Yen. Very interesting experience.

More than half are foreign tourists.
Because it is nearly 30 minutes on the snow road, attention is required such as shoes.

The snow on the previous day was affected by the great cold wave in November. The open-air bath was a great success, from boss monkeys to monkeys.
Basically, monkeys here are familiar with humans and do not do anything unless stimulated, but there is a danger of being intimidated or attacked if approaching the monkey carelessly, so Be careful not to get too engrossed and irritate the monkey.

Make sure you go at least 1 hours before closing time !

If you want to get close to monkeys no matter what, then this is a great place. However if you want to see the place at its best then probably winter is the best time. We went in springtime once the snow had melted and revealed quite a lot of rubbish. The place could be better kept. It was also really quite hot and therefore the monkeys understandably weren t up for a hot bath.

I walk for about an hour and it is easy to fall, so be careful enough

A spot famous for wild monkeys soaking in hot springs.
It's a wild monkey, so it depends on your luck whether you're soaking in the hot springs.
Naturally, it seems that the warm season is unlikely to enter.
So, if you want to see it, the snowy season is desirable, but it is a high hurdle to go because you walk a lot from public transportation and parking lots.
However, because of that relationship, there are more foreign tourists than Japanese.
Also, even in winter, all monkeys are not swarming in the food during the time when the staff sow the food.

A set of round-trip ticket + admission fee from Nagano station is sold in front of Nagano station, but there is a considerable distance from the bus stop to Koen. (2km or more)
Since the number of buses is small, be careful not to miss the bus on the way back.

So many monkeys, even on an hot day - you can see them all around and playing on the rocks and in the water too. There's a little walk from the bus stop to get there but it's through the woods and quite pleasant to wander along. There are a couple of cafes and shops on the way but no food or drink is allowed in the park itself. Lovely day out!

Incredible place to see lots of monkeys. We went mid morning and there were lots around the hot springs and river.

I don't take a hot spring in the summer, but it's fun that Japanese macaques are up close and free.

The snow monkey park was a great experience for me, not only because it was my first time seeing snow, but for other reasons too. Just a disclaimer to anyone planning on going there, there is I believe a 1.8 kilometre walk along snow and sometimes slippery ice to get to the snow monkey park from the entrance road, so it may not be suitable for all visitors to Japan. Despite the long trek, a considerably runny nose and very cold fingers (I don't handle the cold well) I was generally very pleased with the day trip. Once I made it to the park where the snow monkeys spend their time, I was very surprised by how bold the monkeys were. You can get right up close to them, maybe about a metre or so away, and they just don't seem to care. They just continue about their daily lives of essentially entertaining tourists. I saw multiple instances of monkeys chasing each other through crowds of people like they weren't even there, which was pretty funny to be honest. Overall, I definitely thought it was worth the walk to see the monkeys, albeit this may have been because I was so fascinated by all of the snow along the way...

Wonderful like the first time and this time even with snow. A few fewer visitors would have been good, but it's Sunday after all.

The day we went it was drizzling and had been snowing a day befor so trail up to monkey resort very slippery muddy and icy and dangerous. Not a good place for little kids on that kind of day. But once we were there the monkeys were very cute.

A great park, maybe one of the best places I've been to during my journey to Japan. If you like monkeys, I surely recommend you to go there. You can buy a Monkey Pass for the bus and the park at the Osaka station.

Very beautiful and well organised place. Cannot fault the scenery.

Came down from the monkey Ow Innovation mountain with great momentum, its fun to quickly gather in the open-air bath, child monkeys of cuteness, already excited! This is better seen absolutely! It becomes amusing.

Made my day to see how these monkeys take care of their babies. Is a 1,9 km walk until where the monkeys are, but totally enjoyable. These monkeys are friendly, not scary at all. But be careful and do not touch them! They walk around you carelessly,

I went here with my family. The place is kind remote so it takes a while to go here from Nagano Station. But the experience is worth it, especially in the winter. Be warned you have to hike a bit to reach the park.

We took a cab from the Yudanaka train station ($20 for 4 people) to the entrance. About a 10 minute trip up along a steep hill with great forest views. They drop you off at the entrance where there's an attendant. You don't pay yet. Easy 1/2 mile hike along the hot spring river, through a range complex, and up a small hill brings you to the ranger outpost. Pay your 500 yen and keep on going. Another 1/4 mile and you're a the spring where a troop of Macau monkeys. It's amazing. Go when it's cold. They'll be in the hot spring warming up and the ranger will distribute some unhusked rice on the grounds. The monkeys leave humans alone so no worries about getting harassed. If you're a photographer, you're in for a treat!

It is a park famous for monkeys who enter hot springs.
Visit on 2020/11

Occasionally, when a few monkeys came down from the mountain and entered the hot springs, I thought it was a place where I could see that I was lucky, but there were dozens of monkeys (hundreds? ) I was surprised that the food was given by the keeper on a regular basis, and there was no atmosphere where monkeys begged for food or attacked, so I was relieved.

I was very happy to see the little monkeys and parents and children spending their time at will.

It takes about 20 minutes from Shibu Onsen to the narrow mountain road to the parking lot (normal car parking fee 500 yen), and is it a little steep from there? There is an office about 10 minutes on foot on the road, where you can enter by paying an entrance fee of 800 yen per adult.

Heels and sandals are a bit tough, so I think it would be nice to have athletic shoes.