• Home

Kangaroos & Kimonos

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Stay free like me!
  • Home Exchange
  • Hospitality
  • Travel Tips
  • Destinations
    • United States
    • Europe
    • South America
  • Blog

6-Week Asia Trip – Nagano, Japan Area and the Snow Monkeys

February 26, 2017 by Laurie Deppa 1 Comment


Ellie Boarding the Shinkansen

Ellie boarding the Shinkansen

snow Monkeys

Snow Monkeys

We are on a 6-week trip through Asia and this post is about our stay in the Nagano, Japan area and visiting the infamous snow monkeys.

SIgn for Snow Monkey Park

Sign for Snow Monkey Park

I had heard about snow monkeys in Japan but wasn’t sure where they lived. There are other locations in Japan but we wanted Monkey Park near Nagano. Our host in Tokyo arranged for us to stay at an authentic ryokan very close to Monkey Park.  Monkey Park is about 2 hours from Tokyo.

Ellie on the Shinkansen

Ellie on the Shinkansen

very Nice Trains in Japan

Very Nice Trains in Japan

I thought we could stop on the train from Sapporo to Kyoto but if you take the Shinkansen (best) – all trains go through Tokyo.  We took the Shinkansen with our JR (Japan Rail) Pass and Ellie was free because she is 5.  So again it was a really long day (but worth it). The total train time was about 10 hours from Sapporo and we got a late start. I recommend you get an early start as it took us a total of 5 trains.

SCenery from the Shinkansen

Scenery from the Shinkansen

Beautiful Views from the Japanese Train

Beautiful Views from the Japanese Train

ENjoying the Scenery in Japan

Enjoying the Scenery in Japan

Our first train was to Oomiya, then we changed trains to Tokyo for a total of almost 7 plus hours. From Tokyo it took about 90 minutes to Nagano. We then changed trains to the local Nagano Detenecu Line (not covered by the JR pass) which took about 30 minutes. We got in so late that there was only one local train to the last station. I had asked three people if the train we were on went to Yudanaka but they didn’t tell me we had to transfer.  So make sure that you are on the train that WILL stop in Yudanaka.  We ended up taking a taxi instead of transferring again which would have meant almost another hour.

Ryokan Minshuku Miyama

Ryokan Minshuku Miyama

The area was blanketed in white – it was a little hard to see in the dark but the snow provided some beautiful scenery nonetheless.  Our Ryokan hosts at “Minshuku Miyama” had to direct the cab driver on arrival – thank goodness I had their phone number.  Normally the owner will pick you up for free at the local train station but we were too late.  We barely made it to the ryokan before the 10pm check-in deadline.

VIew from Room in our Ryokan

View from Room in our Ryokan

The owners greeted us and asked if we needed anything.  Ellie was “done” and crashed in minutes.  I was famished and accepted a pot of hot water to prepare a noodle bowl and hot tea.  The onsen (hot natural springs bath) was closed – quite a disappointment after such a long day. The toilet and shower were separate. The toilet was just outside our room and the shower in the onsen area was closed as well, another disappointment. There was a sign stating bathing hours but they didn’t seem to honor the sign. The next day I tried to shower at 10am and they said it wasn’t open til 12. Then they said onsen was only open 5-9pm, very frustrating. The onsen is the main reason why I chose to stay there.

TYpical Beds in Ryokan

Typical Beds in Ryokan

PRetty View from Ryokan

Pretty View from Ryokan

We slept on the traditional tatami mat with very warm comforters (and our own personal heating unit). The room was a good size with extra mats and pillows (to which I helped myself). I find one futon mat a little hard mysel but in some places you might not have more than one.  The place was rather quiet and we slept hard.

Japanese Breakfast at Ryokan

Japanese Breakfast at Ryokan

Enza Cafe at Monkey Park

ENza Cafe

Enza Cafe

In the morning they prepared a breakfast for me (Ellie wasn’t feeling well).  I really wasn’t up to fish and vegetables so I just ate the egg and ham.  A bit later we decided to go see the monkeys – that was why we came all this way.  (I figured out later that the scenery is another great reason to visit.). The gracious host drove us to the entrance to the park, where you must go on by foot.  There’s Inza Cafe just at the entrance to the park and Ellie decided she was ready to eat.  It’s a nice little place – they have everything from a quick hot chocolate to a full Japanese meal.  I had vegetable tempura that was quite good, Ellie just wanted some comfort food.

Beautiful Walk through Snow

Beautiful Walk through Snow

We then walked 30 minutes up to the monkeys.  It actually didn’t feel as cold as Tokyo – very strange.  We were either getting used to it or the snow provided a kind of barrier – maybe both.  It’s mostly a flat path and a rather easy walk with proper shoes for walking in snow.  There is one place you have to walk up stairs but not bad.  Do be careful on the path as it can be very slippery when snowy.

Ellie at Monkey Park

Ellie at Monkey Park

Ellie Watching Monkeys

Ellie Having Fun Watching Monkeys

Mommas and Their Babies at Monkey Park

monkeys at Monkey Park

Monkeys at Monkey Park

Monkey Checking Monkey

Baby Monkey at Monkey Park

Baby Monkey at Monkey Park

The entry fee into Jigokudani (Snow) Monkey Park is 800 yen.  From the ticket booth it’s just a short distance to the area where the monkeys are found.  You can walk down to the stream area where we found tons of monkeys in the snow and just a few in the actual hot spring.  As we learned the macaque (snow) monkeys are matriarchal.  Only the most senior females and their babies are allowed in the hot water.  The others must sit around and watch or face being ostracized if they disobey the rules.  It really is a very cool experience – it feels like being in the cage with the monkeys at the zoo.

Common Room at Minshuku Miyama

Ladies Dressing Room at Ryokan Minshuku Miyama

Onsen at Minshuku Miyama

Ellie and I decided to go in the onsen and we had the entire place to ourselves. We undressed in the locker area, scrubbed til we were clean as a whistle and then soaked in the outdoor bath. It was very pretty with a view of the snow and mountains. The water was nice and hot – maybe 41/42C.

Japanese Meal at Minshuku Miyama

They offered to prepare meals at an extra cost.  For dinner I had soup with beef and noodles in a great broth, marinated daikon, pork, cabbage with mayo, peppers with meat, vegetables with a spicy sauce, smoked fish, plus rice and green tea.  It was like Japanese tapas.  There were six other guests for dinner but most were Japanese who didn’t speak English.

Beautiful Countryside Near Snow Monkeys

The next morning our hosts gave us a ride to the train station.  I found out at checkout that they didn’t take credit cards and had to go to an ATM.  Make sure you verify methods of payment before you go to a ryokan.

I am really glad that we got the opportunity to stay in a traditional Japanese Ryokan, it was an interesting experience.  Most of all we were very happy to see the snow monkeys and we recommend that you do the same.


Tweet
PinIt

Filed Under: Asia, Japan, Travel Tips

Comments

  1. Fran Unger says

    February 28, 2017 at 2:25 pm

    Wow! You covered a lot of ground.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Blog Entries

  • Fly Cheap to Argentina
  • Free Travel to NYC on Amtrak
  • Planning a Trip is Easy with Tripit
  • Stay Free Around the World with Trusted Housesitters
  • “Travel FREE Like Me” Seminar on March 14th

Join our Mailing List

Submitting this form will add you to our mailing list and entitle you to members-only information from Kangaroos and Kimonos.

There is no charge for this, and we promise to never share your information with other companies.

Copyright © 2023 · Kangaroos and Kimonos · Site layout and theme customizations by Fischer IT Solutions

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in