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Nagano Snow Monkey and Obuse Tour: English Speaking Driver Only

By Japan Guide Agency
Free cancellation available
Price is NZ$1,155 per traveller* *Get lower prices by selecting more than 2 adults
See tickets
Features
  • Free cancellation available
  • 8h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation
  • Selective hotel pickup
Overview

This 8-hour self-guided tour is perfect for travellers who want to visit the world-famous Snow Monkey Park and the charming town of Obuse at their own pace.

Your journey begins at JR Nagano Station, where you'll meet your English-speaking driver.

Your driver will take you to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, where you can witness Japanese macaques soaking in natural hot springs

After your visit to the Snow Monkey Park, you may choose 3 to 4 sites to visit from the itinerary/what to expect list to visit.

After spending a few hours, your driver will take you back to JR Nagano Station.

Experience two of Nagano’s must-see destinations in one convenient day trip!

1: The driver can understand basic English, but communication may be limited. They will use a translation app if needed. Plan your itinerary in advance to ensure a smooth experience.

2: Monkeys don't soak in the hot spring in warm weather. They bathe in winter to prevent from the severe coldness.

Activity location
  • Nagano
    • Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Meeting/Redemption Point
  • Nagano
    • Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Check availability

Van (up to 8 pax)
  • Activity duration is 8 hours8h
    8h

Van (up to 8 pax)
Pickup included

Price details
NZ$1,692.94 x 1 TravellerNZ$1,692.94
Total
Price is NZ$1,692.94
Until Thu, 12 Feb
Minivan (up to 5 pax)
  • Activity duration is 8 hours8h
    8h

Minivan (up to 5 pax)
Pickup included

Price details
NZ$1,169.18 x 1 TravellerNZ$1,169.18
Total
Price is NZ$1,169.18
Until Thu, 12 Feb
Regular Car (up to 3 pax)
  • Activity duration is 8 hours8h
    8h

Regular Car (up to 3 pax)
Pickup included

Price details
NZ$1,155.43 x 1 TravellerNZ$1,155.43
Total
Price is NZ$1,155.43
Until Thu, 12 Feb

What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's included
    Visit to 3 to 4 sites other than Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Private vehicle
  • What's includedWhat's included
    English speaking driver: The driver can understand basic English, but communication may be limited
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    The entrance fee to Jigokudani Monkey Park: Adults 800 JPY, Children 400JPY JPY
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Admission fee to Ganshoin Temple: Adults 500 JPY, Students (6-18) 200 JPY
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Admission fee to Hokusai Kan Museum: Adults 1200 JPY, Students (Junior high and high school students) 500 JPY, Children 300 JPY
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Admission fee to Takai Kozan Memorial Museum: Adults 300 JPY, Children 150 JPY
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.

Know before you book

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transport options are available nearby
  • Specialised infant seats are available
  • Not recommended for travellers with spinal injuries
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Monkeys don't soak in the hot spring in the warm season because they bathe in order to prevent from the severe coldness in winter.
  • You cannot combine multiple tour groups.

Activity itinerary

Nagano
  • 1h
Your driver will meet you at JR Nagano Station and drive you to Kanbayashi Onsen, the starting point of the trail to the Snow Monkey Park. The journey takes approximately one hour.
Snow Monkey Park (jigokudani Yaen Koen)
  • 2h
  • Admission ticket not included
The world-famous “Snow Monkey Park” is located in the Valley of Yokoyu River in northern Nagano where the troops of wild Japanese monkeys inhabit naturally through the ages. To access the monkey park, you must walk along a forest trail located at the top of Kanbayashi Onsen. Kanbayashi is small and the trail entrance is located next to the Snow Monkey Resort Information and Gift Shop. Pease note that entry tickets for the monkey park are not sold and there are no toilets. Tickets for the park are purchased at the park itself, at the end of the trail. When the weather is fine, this is an easy walk and it takes about 20 to 25 minutes. The trail to the park is 1.6 km / 1 mile in both directions. It is unsealed but well-maintained and other than a short staircase at the trail entrance and a final steep staircase and sloped path at the end of the trail / entrance to the park itself, the trail is completely level and easy to walk.
Obuse-machi
  • 30m
After visitint the Show Monkey Park, your driver will take you to Obuse Town. It takes about 30 minutes from Kanbayashi Onsen to Obuse.
Ganshoin Temple
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket not included
Katsushika Hokusai painted “Phoenix Glaring in All Directions” on the ceiling in 1848 at the age of 89. The mythical bird’s eyes seem to follow you no matter where you stand.
Hokusai-kan
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket not included
Hokusai Katsushika was a master of Ukiyo-e, a Japanese genre of painting and woodblock printing that flourished between the late 17th and late 19th centuries. The Hokusai Museum is a diverse tribute to the renowned Japanese artist Hokusai Katsushika who visited several times near the end of his life in the charming town of Obuse.
Kurino Komichi
  • 30m
Obuse’s townscape manages to satisfy the desire of residents for convenience while providing a soothing atmosphere for visitors. Kuri no Komichi is paved with blocks of chestnuts wood, this path linking the Hokusai Museum and the Takai Kozan Museum is one of Obuse’s best-loved spots and a perfect place for a stroll. To walk along paths and enjoy the contrast of earth-colored walls and tiled roofs in almost like stepping back in time.
Kozan Takai Memorial Museum
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket not included
Paintings and calligraphic works by Takai Kozan, the prosperous farmer and merchant who both invited Hokusai to Obuse and studied under the master, are on display in his former salon and study.
Obusedo
  • 30m
Chestnuts have been cultivated in Obuse—long celebrated as one of the three top spots for chestnuts in Japan—since the fourteenth century and were presented to the shogunate as tribute during the Edo Period. It was only during the early twentieth century, though, that canning technology transformed chestnut sweets from a seasonal delicacy to a year-round product. With a history dating back to 1923, Obusedo produces a wide range of traditional chestnut sweets (like yokan, kuri kanoko, and rakugan) as well as dorayaki, pound cakes, and other delights.
Matsubaya Honten
  • 30m
Established during the middle of the Edo period, our brewery relocated to Obuse in 1889 at the beginning of the Meiji period. The current brewery building dates back more than 200 years. With its eye-catching red brick chimney, this is where our master brewer creates a range of sakes both vigorous and delicate. Sake made from rice steamed in our giant wagama boiler has exceptional flavour. This Japanese sake brewery offers tastings and brewery tours (with reservations, Japanese only).
Nagano
  • 1h
After Obuse sightseeing, your driver will take you back to JR Nagano Station.　From Obuse to Nagano Station, it takes about 40 minutes.

Location

Activity location
  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Nagano
    • Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Meeting/Redemption Point
  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Nagano
    • Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

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