Jigokudani Yaenkoen: Snow Monkey Park

On Sunday we caught a bus back to Nagano in the morning and caught another bus to Kanbayashi Onsen Guchi to see the snow monkeys that bathe in an onsen. There are two options for seeing the snow monkeys, which are actually macaques. You can do a tour for about $50 per person or you can go yourself. There is a one day snow monkey pass for a bit over $30 per person that includes transport to and from the monkey park and entry to the park. 

You can buy the pass from Nagano train station near the entrance to the Dentetsu line (subway station). With the pass, you have the option of catching an express bus straight to Kanbayashi Osen Guchi stop or you can catch a train and a bus to Knbayashi Onsen stop. The express bus is a little quicker, so that is what we did. It's then a 30minute max walk to the entrance to the monkey park. The track is very easy and flat, but awfully muddy. I imagine in winter you would want hiking boots to walk over it when it is covered in snow. If you're lucky, like us, there will be a naked guy sitting out beside his onsen for all the world to see, just below the entrance to the monkey park.

We spent 20 or 30 minutes at the actual park. It wasn't amazing and I wouldn't recommend it as something everyone must do. It was something I had to do, and a good way to fill our morning. There were more monkeys than I expected there, and a lot of little ones playing. The monkeys were not interested in the onsen until a staff member threw some food in to encourage them in for us tourists. This is where I love having my zoom lens, and hate having it at the s
ame time. It means I can stand at a comfortable distance and get great close up shots of animals. But it also means that I have to be quick because people tend to walk between me and what I'm photographing. Which drives me insane, when I'm so careful not to ruin other people's photos. There were a lot more people than I expected at the snow monkey park, but it still wasn't too crowded. I think I had pretty low expectations for it and it did surpass them. If I could plan it over again, I would go on a weekday instead of a Sunday, in the hope less people would be there. Still I'm glad we went. They are pretty cute.