SNOW MONKEYS in Hot Springs?! Exploring Nagano in 4 Days 🇯🇵 (Full Guide)

SNOW MONKEYS in Hot Springs?! Exploring Nagano in 4 Days 🇯🇵 (Full Guide)

[Music] [Music] i’m filming no no no no no oh well it’s very slippery i’m scared our [Music] [Applause] [Music] next stop nago snow street food temples and yes monkeys and hot springs stick around we’re showing you exactly what to do what to eat and where to find the good stuff here [Music] today we’re going to go to the snow monkey park and we’re in the dungeons but we found uh basically there’s a ticket a vending machine there’s a there’s a there’s a vending machine uh here in the station um a white one where you can buy a snow monkey pass which is valid for 2 days and it has the entry ticket on the in the park plus the bus/train ticket and the bus it’s an express bus it goes directly to the snow park and then you have to walk for 25 minutes so we’re going to do that and we have to go to the bus now so let’s go quickly [Music] [Music] after like 40 minutes to up to an hour of a ride we arrived and we still have 40 minutes to walk and it’s snowing a lot so yeah it’s going to be fun let’s go wait if you are new to the channel welcome i’m vasco
and i’m sarah
and if you like japan and traveling in general and vlogs and cool experiences consider subscribing
we quit our jobs and we came all the way to japan for a full year to discover all it has to offer so yeah we’re on the road to reach 1k followers and without you we can’t do it so you know follow along
back to the video [Music] they’re picked sweet [Music] yeah so we found out in the first souvenir shop before you start the ascent towards the snow monkeys that the coffee has a snow monkey coffee with like a little marshmallow monkey floating on the coffee so sweet potato plus coffee that’s my mission afterwards [Music] snowing a lot but we managed we’re here there’s not a lot of people which is great for us he he has the super gigantic lens on let’s see if we can find some monkeys soaking in the warm water not going to lie if it were me i would do the same so yeah the floor is quite slippery and you might have to wait in line so maybe bring comfortable shoes i’ve seen a lot of people on sneakers with sneakers and everything and it’s uh quite dangerous here kind of ignore you if you don’t do anything some of them are looking for food in the snow they eat like bugs and berries and all kinds of stuff they also feed them apples here [Music] la [Music] it’s snowing a lot oh god it’s very slippery i’m scared [Music] after 40 minutes upwards and now 40 minutes again back down i think we deserve something so we just came here to the enza cafe and i want a snow monkey coffee because it has a little marshmallow of a small monkey on top of it and vashka is starving so probably will eat something as well and then afterwards i’m going for that sweet potato [Music] heat heat n [Music] oh [Music] you cheated see what day [Music] and this was day one of nago filled with snow snow monkeys and quite the hike plus sweet potato after that hike and the monkey magic we hit ajigen a yakiniku near nagano station for a local shinchi wagyu which is basically cows that are fed on apples the meat tends to be very sweet and buttery in comparison to other wagyu [Music] [Music] today we’re going to start at the senkoji temple and then also go to the art perfect museum as well this temple reminds me a bit of a mixture between kyoto and nada but without all the tourists so it’s also today the start of spring so it’s a a red day here in japan so you see a lot of families out with their kids and everything but it’s very calm today [Music] there’s quite a lot of food at the street but don’t forget to try the oyaki the sweet potato of course and the dango [Music] [Music] so after vis visiting the koji temple you can come to the nago art museum of art perfectoral art here here at this museum you can explore a huge collection of artworks more or less 4,600 they vary from modern and traditional pieces but they’re all tied to nago among the works you’ll also find some from yayo sama from the early 1960s and of course her pumpkin saragraphs you’ll also find beautiful landscape paintings from the painter higashy makai for those interested in japanese art this place is definitely a must [Music] we’re going to try to have some food at pacio which is a place filled with restaurants so hopefully you can grab something to eat [Music] it’s very cold we just had some um dinner at the place called mosen terrace enya it’s a very chill place very cozy with like very small dishes like tempura they also have like chicken karagamame and some sushi rolls as well but overall very good experience [Music] close to nago there’s also the togakshi shrine which is around an hour or so by bus from the nagago station sadly we can’t go towards the shrine itself because of a lot of snow there’s also the danger of like avalanche and everything so but we can go towards the stairs before the shrine it’s sad that the shrine is closed but supposedly during the winter it’s always a little bit dangerous to go up to the shrine so they always close it so take that into account but overall it’s very pretty here so i think it’s always worth it to come here also no drones allowed here so keep that in mind [Music] [Music] i’m filming no no no no no [Music] after 30 minutes we’re finally here it’s quite a walk but it’s worth it i think [Music] we ended up eating a delicious toaki soba which is basically made with buckwheats grown up in the mountains [Music] we just arrived back to back at nago station it was a whole day it was definitely worth it but in the end we ended up not having time to go to matsushid castle uh ruins but you know but if you’re in nago you also have those places to check out that we will name in the blog another [Music] day another nomadic travel towards another place we finally ended our stay here in aano and we must say we really recommend it to anyone uh who is interested not only in uh nature but also like in a smaller city than tokyo so with less tourists and everything and now we’re going to head over to matsumoto for 3 days more or less and then finally kyoto and there you have it we hope you loved nango’s vibe as much as we did so please subscribe comment and we’ll meet you at the next stop see you soon [Music]

Join us on an unforgettable 4-day adventure through Nagano, Japan — home to the world-famous snow monkeys that soak in steaming natural hot springs! In this travel vlog, we take you deep into the snowy mountains of Jigokudani Monkey Park, where we got up close with these iconic creatures as they relaxed in the onsen. It was surreal, hilarious, and one of the most unique wildlife experiences in Japan.

But our trip didn’t stop there. We explored Nagano City’s rich history, visited ancient temples like Zenko-ji, and dove into local street food and cozy cafes that gave us a real taste of Japanese culture. Whether we were wandering quiet backstreets or discovering hidden gems, Nagano surprised us at every turn.

This video is not just a vlog — it’s a full travel guide. We’ll walk you through our exact 4-day itinerary, how we got around, where we stayed, what to eat, and tips for seeing the snow monkeys for yourself. Perfect if you’re planning a Japan trip or just curious about this beautiful, underrated region.

🗺️ Follow this Route – https://www.waddlewanders.com/guides/nagano-and-matsumoto-japan-the-ultimate-travel-guide-for-adventure-culture-and-food

📌 Plan your trip with our affiliates:
🛋️ Hotel → https://www.agoda.com/partners/partnersearch.aspx?pcs=1&cid=1935928&hid=412037
🚆 JR East Nagano-Niigata Area Pass → https://click.jrpass.com/aff_c?offer_id=17&aff_id=1921
📶 Japan Wireless Pocket WiFi → https://www.japan-wireless.com/?via=waddle

(Some of these links help us out if you book through them—no extra cost to you, just good travel karma!)

🌍 All Our Guides – https://www.waddlewanders.com
🗞️ Subscribe to our Newsletter for FREE: https://www.waddlewanders.com/newsletter
and get 10% off on our interactive travel guides!

OUR GEAR:

—–MAIN CAMERA

SONY a6700 – https://geni.us/DW6AwMt

Lens:
Sigma 16mm f1.4 – https://geni.us/Cl7aLH
Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 – https://geni.us/P1GF
Sigma 35mm f1.4 – https://geni.us/9yJNAm
Sigma 70-200 f2.8 – https://geni.us/TPsY

Camera Bag – https://geni.us/r3V05
Battery case – https://geni.us/QSVCri
SD Card case – https://geni.us/5lXDvLp
ND Filter’s Kit – https://geni.us/UibN1B
Black Mist filter 1/4 (equivalent) – https://geni.us/BcUhE

Tripod – https://geni.us/Zu6HV
SD CARD – https://geni.us/DgND
Base plate – https://geni.us/7XAic
Camera Audio Adaptor(To use mics wirelessly) – https://geni.us/npsQttA

—–POV & VLOG SETUP
DJI Pocket 3 – https://geni.us/aLodEZ
DJI Microphone – https://geni.us/1uH4edV
Chest mount – https://geni.us/uQjf
DJI chest mount adaptor – https://geni.us/7T8wSs
Vlog Tripod – https://geni.us/PubL

OUR DRONE – https://geni.us/7VBEvY

LAPTOP – https://geni.us/pnBaE
SSD – https://geni.us/mNIWc

Software:
Adobe Lightroom CC
DaVinci Resolve 19 Studio

💜 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waddlewanders
🖤 Follow us on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@waddlewanders
💙 Twitter: https://x.com/waddlewanders
❤️ Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WaddleWanders?sub_confirmation=1
💌 For business inquiries: waddlewanders@gmail.com

Quacking like, comment & Subscribe!