A day trip to Nagano (長野) to see the famous Japan Snow Monkeys (ニホンザル) at Jigokudani Monkey Park (地獄谷野猿公苑). Travelling early morning from Tokyo (東京) to Nagano by Shinkansen (新幹線), then by bus we arrived at the base and took an approximately 20min walk through the forest to get to the Monkey Park. On the way we also pass Korakukan Ryokan and some truly magical snowscape scenery.
The park itself was absolutely worth seeing. At first we had quite low expectations after reading reviews online and seeing the signs warning us of the possibility of not seeing any of these wild snow monkeys.But, to our pleasant surprise, we got to see heaps of them all over the park. Running around through peoples legs and sitting right next to crowds of people, it seemed that they had grown quite accustomed to seeing so many visitors. It was a truly unique experience and definitely a highlight for our Japan trip.
After the park we used the local bus to get to a nearby train station and took a ride on the local tram back to Nagano Station. From there we took the city bus to Zenkoji Temple (善光寺) where there is a hidden Buddha Statue (hibutsu) also the first ever Buddha statue to be brought to Japan. Near the temple we had a try of the famous Japanese dish “Soba (そば)” which Nagano is famous for. Also famous in Nagano is their apples and Oyaki (おやき) which are really worth trying too.
If you are interested in visiting the Snow Monkey Park for yourself we highly recommend purchasing the “Snow Monkey Pass” available at Nagano Station. It includes everything you need including transport and entry. Here is a link for more information:
Filmed with Fujifilm X-T20 & X-A2
Lenses XF18-55mm, XF35mm, XF50mm, XF10-24mm, XC50-230mm
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