Yamanouchi Reviews

Neutral experience made during periods without snow, magical with snow. Monkeys aren't aggressive or annoying but don't stare them in the eye while they eat ...

Many foreigners are visiting because there is a facility that has become famous for the cover of overseas magazines. No matter which mode of transportation you use, you will need to walk at least 3 km each way, but it is worth it in winter. The colder it is, the more monkeys are in the hot spring.

The staff will tell you a lot about monkeys. Although it is a wild animal even though you do not watch out for people, you can just watch it, but I think you can enjoy it enough.

Since there is no meal facility, it is better to prepare drinks and portable food near Yudanaka Station and go.

It's safer to go on a trekking in winter while enjoying nature.

It was really cool hanging with the monkeys in the sun on the rocks . However, while the monkey Park is a cool idea it was a little disappointing.

The first thing I should mention is that I went during March so there wasn't any snow - I think one of the really cool things about the monkey Park is seeing them bathe in the hot onsen with the steam all around them etc. The monkeys hardly got in the water while we were there. We literally only saw one tentatively drink from the stream.

The actual monkey Park was also probably about a third of the size I was expecting. There is only really one "onsen" for the monkeys . Finally the monkeys were a LOT more domesticated then I was expecting to the point where the staff were feeding them and signalling them with whistles.

Notwithstanding this it was kinda cool to get up close and personal with the monkeys. Just be careful because some of them got very close and very personal grabbing at a toddler and climbing a man who was crouching down.

On a side note the walk to the monkey section was really really beautiful.

800 yen entrance fee. Nice hike along the way. Cool geyser!!

23/12/2019
2pm

No monkeys. Found out when we walked 1.6km into the ticket booth.

Check the live feed on the website before you come.

Such an amazing day with Monkeys. If you go on train, buy a Monkey day pass in Nagano station. It will be 3200YEN. It include Train+Bus+Monkey Park Entrance = return as well. Good deal.

From the bus station you will have to walk around 20min thru forest. Easy walk also for kids.

If you are lucky you can see monkey in hotspring taking bath !

10/28 Before noon, there are lots of monkeys!
There were over 100 of them, and I was soaking in the hot springs!
The person in charge will mutter on Twitter in the morning to see if there are monkeys, so check it out!
I'm used to people, so I don't bite or intimidate them.

Be sure to take a bus to Shanglin Hot Spring Area
Start going up again! Don't walk over the station, you will die!
It's beautiful to walk to the park from Shanglin Hot Spring
Shirayuki and the forest are very beautiful in winter!
And the road is muddy and snowy!
Will slip, please be careful! !!
Remember to pay attention to the closing time, you cannot enter the venue 10 minutes before closing time
But monkeys can still be seen on the forest and bridge outside!

There are many foreign tourists
There is an open-air bath for monkeys

Lots of tourists, it's better to come early. The park is really small for a 800Y fee. That being said, I enjoyed the walk up and there were a lot of monkeys in the morning. It was really nice to see them this close!

A very special park that should visit during Dec to Feb if you are in this area. A well maintained park, very good experience to see monkeys get into hot spring, children will love it so much. A place must visit if you are around this are

Definitely visiting the park is worth the trip. However do not set your expectations too high as the white snow perfect pictures depend on weather conditions. Check the forecast to make sure there is some snow, and go early to avoid the crowds that quickly surround the relatively small pool. However the monkeys are really uesd to human contact, so you can enjoy watching them in other areas of the park. Recommended!!!

From the parking lot to the garden we will walk for about 20 minutes on a narrow street. Snow is piled up in winter, so it may be dangerous to slide when going by sneakers. You better go with boots or nonslip shoes.

The monkeys really walk next to themselves. I am accustomed to humans very much but they are not asking for food.

Certainly money is taken properly but I am very satisfied! It was my first time to see monkeys so close.

Quite a hike to get here, and full of selfie-taking tourists

Very easy attraction to visit. I would recommend getting the day pass if you're catching the bus from Nagona (3200 for entry and return bus trip incl. coupons). Short walk up but be careful if it's icy.

Very beautiful area where you are surrounded by hills flushed with trees and greenery making for some great pictures.

Definelty suggest you visit here if you get the chance!

If you go here before lunch time, the crowd levels aren't too great. Be aware of the long walk to the springs (1.8km each way) from the carpark. Pathway is very easy to do a leisurely stroll on and a good chance to take in the scene of the Japanese forest around you.

The monkeys are incredible cute. Although it's quite a small complex, it's also very cheap. Recommend going after snowing!

Great experience to see snow monkey up close. However, they weren t soaking in the onsen. I guess it s too hot for them now. If you want to see them soaking, do come when it s snowing heavily. Might come again to see that if there s a chance again. Otherwise, it was an awesome experience seeing them interact with each other. Playful and cute.

Fun experience, the monkeys can come really close. Be careful because sometimes the monkeys start to fight between themselves.

There is a big difference between seeing it on Youtube etc. and going there. It's even moving. It's a little walking, so if you have time, I recommend you to stop by.

Really nice to see the he monkeys in their natural environment

Because of the warm winter, there were few monkeys soaking in the hot springs and many people were trying to take pictures, so it was humorous. The way from the parking lot is frozen and it is very slippery, so it seems better to wear some shoes.

It s a healing point. It s small but it can be shaken for a long time. The tail of the Japanese snow monkey is very short and you can hardly see it. The monkey is not afraid of people. It s also spectacular that all the monkeys ran out to grab food. If you want to make sure that you see the monkeys in the soup, pay attention to the weather forecast. It is easy to get muddy on the way and it is easy to freeze on the road. Be careful when walking.

Small park that requires about a 40 minute walk to reach. I visited in the summer, and was able to see a lot of baby monkeys. The monkeys are wild but are used to humans and will walk around you quite freely. Employees provide grain to the monkey's every so often, so there are lots of photo ops.

Being able to see the monkey up close is a valuable experience.

We had a great time at this park! We went with some of our local friends and it was so much fun to watch the monkeys play around the onsen! It was a fairly nice day but a little cold in the shade so some of the trail was still ice to get to the park. There is good parking and restrooms right by the parking. They also have a little area to wash your shoes off before you get back into your cars by the restroom. We should have taken some food to maybe eat before we saw the monkeys as the walk from the parking lot to the park is 25minutes one way. That is the only thing I would suggest is that you eat before you go so you aren't hungry. Otherwise it was a wonderful day and I would definitely suggest this park to anyone!

There is a taste, but in winter it is quite difficult to walk on foot and dress properly.
There are many foreign tourists, so it will be a popular spot in this area.

If it's warm, you won't go to the hot springs, so you should go there when it's quite cold.

I am deeply impressed by the monkey who is immersed in the hot spring while snow falls! I would recommend it!

A magical place. Hopefully, when you visit Japan, I was there this winter and I really liked the contrast of snow and the hot springs.

Impressive. The monkeys are free and the staff very devoted to their animals. In the middle of a mountain, the scenery is complete and for visitors who want to sleep there, the setting is magnificent and the Onsen present seems to be very pleasant.

The dirtiest place I've seen while in Japan. The walk through the forest to get there is quite nice

Very far away, but very special attractions to see canal to jump into the pool soaking
Worth the time to look at

There are now more foreigners than Japanese. It is annoying for Chinese tourists who are enthusiastic about taking pictures of monkeys and do not want to move from the best position at all.

The Wild Monkey Park itself is a good place.

Lovely place
Little bit cold
But can warm your hearts

We went there in early Dec, weather not too cold and not much monkey stay in the onsen.

It's not as complicated to get to as it may appear, the buses and trains are well organized.

Amazing time at the Monkey park. The feeding time was incredible with hundreds of monkeys around!

Be mentally prepared to travel from the parking lot to the Nojiri Park for about 1.6 kilometers. The road is not too difficult. However, if the weather is bad, it will be full of mud during the rain or snow. However, rest assured, there is a place to clean the shoes next to the parking lot in the parking lot.

Very interesting one protected area
The first time I saw monkeys soaking in soup and diving very much
Very special experience is worth a look
The parking lot next to the wild coffee is very close to the entrance.
Walk 1.3km and walk for 25 minutes.
Tickets for one person 800 yen
At the end of the snow season, it is recommended to wear waterproof and non-slip shoes along the muddy days.
Almost all the way along the road is full of good!

There are so many monkeys, sometimes it will be skipped from your head, you can't feed and touch, it's a bit stinky, but it's really cute. There is a coffee shop under the mountain. It's cheap and delicious. The price and the weight scare me. "

Well maintained. Very enjoyable experience, entry fee is very reasonable.

It is a site that allows you to see spectacular landscapes and see the monkeys interact freely. It can be a bit difficult to get to the Yudanaka train station (the nearest one) first and then take a bus that leaves you near the entrance to the park. From there you should walk approximately 1.2 km until you get to the sale of tickets on a dirt road so it is necessary to wear appropriate footwear.

Its a good hike up to where the place is but once you get there it not all that bad. They got hit hard by the typhoon this year in October so guess they were doing some construction. But when i was there they weren't making any noise the monkeys were all around. Plus the hike was nice not having snow yet made it really a pleasant walk.

Must go place, not just for the monkeys but fantastic hiking and scenery. The park is going to take at least 30 minutes walk from the bus drop off.

Nice walk tray . Less than spected . Full of monkeys but because it was autumm it was not so impresive

We stayed two nights in Nagano specifically to make it here and it was not a let down! The trek from the base to thw springs was long and slippery, but the scenery was unbelievable the entire way. I highly recommend this spot.

However, I suggest you skip Enza Cafe at the base.

Nice experience with Japanese monkeys. It is a truly relaxing place surrounded by the hills and green. Highly recommended but you need to have a comfortable shoes because you need to walk a while til you can see the monkeys. Enjoy and get your cameras ready!!!

Incredible experience. Go to the onsen across the bridge. It's hot as hell but only $6 and you will likely see snow monkeys at the outside onsen. Also, the food was excellent!

Bathing in a peaceful monkey that you can't taste elsewhere

Amazing trip , I could not stop taking pictures of those beautiful creatures so in love

I think the entrance fee is high due to the size of the facility, but you can enjoy a valuable experience that you can get close to a Japanese macaque at a very short distance.

Seeing the snow monkeys and local scenery (mountains and forest) was an amazing experience and I'm very glad I visited this park. However, accessing the monkey park via public transport was extremely difficult and confusing.

None of the public transport from nagano station accepted IC cards (everything was completely cash only - which would have been good to know before I loaded most of my cash onto my suica card).

The bus and train fares added up to 1500 yen each way. This cost, on top of the park entry fee of 800 yen, makes the park a very expensive place to visit.

To add insult to injury, the closest atm was over an hours walk from the park.

All of this information was almost impossible to find anywhere online so I thought I would share this experience in hopes that other people wouldn't have such a difficult time.

Unique and special. Despite quite a few visitors there was no lineups, we saw plenty of monkeys from a very close distance. A lot of babies as well. While the monkeys were tame (they mingled freely among the awed photographers) they ignored the tourists and just were themselves. Go between 8:30 and noon to have guaranteed viewing.

Better than I thought it would be. I don't like that they entice the monkeys here with food but I suppose it's better than cashing them.
The long walk and very icy trail kept the crowds smaller than I had expected.

Plenty of snow monkeys, if you like monkeys then this is a place to visit.

Well, I climb it, so I don't recommend it to people who don't like walking, but it's interesting because it's hard to experience the monkeys at their feet.

The hot spring monkeys in winter need a lot of preparedness, and I think they can't get up by car in the first place.

The road is narrower than snow and there is only one road, so it is not suitable for people who do not want to hurt their cars.

Winter is the best photo and scenery view, but the snowy roads may be tighter for children and the elderly.
I took my child but was tired on the way home. Be careful because the roads are narrow and snowy roads are frozen or cliffs.
At the entrance, you can watch on TV whether monkeys are in the hot spring or not.
You may not be able to worship the sight of the hot spring.

Because monkeys are used to people, it is safe.

Super cute monkey doing bath etc.. a nice walking path to the park.. but a bit too crowded when i visit it last week..

This is a famous place for monkeys to soak in hot springs.
You can get from the north side or the south side across the river.
Free parking is available on the south side. I often use this side.
From the parking lot, walk along the mountain road (although there is not much difference in elevation) for about 2 to 30 minutes
There is a target wild monkey park.
You can see monkeys everywhere on the slopes and sidewalks, so you can take a nap or eat something even before you go to the monkeys that use the hot springs (laughs)
Of course it is dangerous to make eye contact, and be careful not to take your belongings.
The area around the hot spring is full of monkeys, which you can see very close by.
It is also popular with foreigners, and I am pleased to take it with me.

One of the most amazing places I have ever visited. The monkeys run wild and free enjoying the hot springs and the occasional grain they are given. I don't know of anything else like this anywhere in the world. This is a definite must see...

No zoo in the world has anything on this place. It's graced the cover of National Geographic and to this day does not disappoint. No bars, cages, or enclosures, just a troupe of 200 Macaques who wander down the mountain every day to relax in the hot-springs and pose inches away from the tourists.

I think it is good to see a situation close to nature.

Go early to avoid crowds (and photographers with giant tripods). Opens at 9 in the winter and 830 in the summer.

You'll see a lot more humans than monkeys on weekends. Still interesting.

The monkeys are adorable and very well behaved.

I visited fresh green jeans.
I couldn't see the monkeys entering the hot spring in the snow, but the abundant nature and the high eruption of Jigokudani hot springs are wonderful!
It doesn't slip, it doesn't get cold, and the green season is also recommended.

A special experience to see wild monkeys without any sanctions in front of them. The floor is messy with monkey poop, and the smell of sulfur and pung is pretty awful.

From winter to spring, if you are lucky you may be able to see wild monkeys soaked in hot springs. But never approach and touch, keep your eyes closed, do not shoot with a flash burning ... / /.

Well worth the trip. Me and my friends had an amazing couple of weeks in Japan and this was a real highlight... These little buggers are cute.

To see if you have time. There are many monkeys. But its simple remains

I think that you can enjoy monkey with hot springs and snow scenery at the same time and it is unique to Japan.
In winter, the nearest parking lot is blocked, so it is necessary to take about 30 minutes on foot from Kamiayashi hot spring on foot, so I think that we need sufficient preparation for clothes and shoes. However, because there are also non-slip shoes rental at Kamiri Hot Spring, you may not need to bother buying it. (As of January 2019)
Because monkey is getting food, it is pretty adults pretty, but possession etc may be stolen, so we recommend bags closing the lid.