Best Winter Activities — Our Top 13

1.1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,020 reviews · from $151Our pick

Travel from Nagano to Zenko-ji Temple, a local sake tasting, and Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. English-speaking guides such as Tom, Kieran, Nadine, and Endo help explain each stop. Lunch is included, but plan for a steep, icy forest walk to the monkeys, especially in winter.

“We were lucky to have Tom as our guide. He is extremely knowledgeable not only about Japanese history but also gave an excellent summary of sake production and the different types as well as the snow monkeys and Nagano attractions. Tom was also very generous with recommendations for other areas in Japan. The tour was an excellent combination of the temple tour and snow monkey forest. Fantastic lunch included. Plenty of time to see the Zenkoji temple as well as the monkeys. Thanks Tom”

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2.Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 833 reviews · 8 - 12 hours · from $135

Join an English-speaking guide such as Dylan, Brent, Tom, or Hiroshi for a full day of Nagano highlights. Visit Zenkoji Temple, taste local sake, enjoy a generous Japanese lunch, and walk the forest trail to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park.

“The trip was incredible! Totally worth the trek out to Nagano from Tokyo. Guides were very informative and accommodating. Would absolutely recommend!”

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3.Private Tour Snow Monkey Park & Zenko-ji Temple

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 184 reviews · 1 day

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano in a private Toyota Vellfire, Crown, or Land Cruiser with an English-speaking driver such as Waqas or Bilal. See snow monkeys at Jigokudani, visit Zenko-ji Temple, Matsushiro Castle Ruins, Shibu Onsen, and Obuse, with time to adjust the plan.

“The tour was excellent and very well organized, with amazing highlights at the Snow Monkey Park and Zenko-ji Temple. Our driver, Sajawal Rana, was punctual, very kind, and extremely helpful, making the whole experience smooth and enjoyable.”

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4.Snow Monkey Park and Zenkoji Temple Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 127 reviews · 1 day

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano with a private English-speaking driver such as Ali, Sunny, or Fahed. See snow monkeys near hot springs, visit Zenkoji Temple, and adjust stops for Obuse, Shibu Onsen, or castle ruins. The long drive is easier with door-to-door service, but this is a full day.

“Ali was extremely friendly and helpful. It was stress free getting picked up straight from our hotel. The car was comfortable and a smooth ride.”

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5.Nagano/Tokyo: Snow Monkey and Zenkoji Temple Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 54 reviews

Travel from your Tokyo hotel to Jigokudani Monkey Park and Zenkoji Temple in a private vehicle for up to six people. English-speaking drivers such as Ali, Raza, Sunny, and Fahad tailor the day around your interests, with optional stops in Obuse, Shibu Onsen, Yamanochi, and Matsushiro.

“Mirza was great—knowledgeable and personable. A very pleasant experience.”

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6.Snow Monkey Park & Zenko-ji Temple Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 42 reviews

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano in a private Vellfire with an English-speaking driver such as Cheema, Sikandar, or Sarfraz. See macaques at Jigokudani, visit Zenko-ji, and adjust the day around your priorities. The long drive makes timing important, especially if you want Obuse or an onsen too.

“We were so happy to see the snow monkeys! Driver was great! A very nice day!”

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7.Snow Monkeys & Togakushi Shrine Two-Spot in-One Day

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 35 reviews · 8 hours · from $202

Spend eight hours with an English-speaking guide and private car at Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park and Togakushi Shrine. Guides such as Chris, Dai, Kazu, Shuhei, and Taketo adjust the pace, suggest local soba, and take photos for you. Expect a 30 to 40 minute walk to the monkeys.

“THIS IS SUCH AN AMAZING TOUR! It is a great idea to take this private tour as it not only combines 2 destinations that are in opposite directions of each other but also makes transport such a breeze! We had a great time at the Snow monkey park, and lucky for us it wasnt even very crowded.Our guide Kazu then took us for a delicious soba noodle lunch before a lovely drive up the mountains to Togakushi.Plenty of snow and lovely sceneries throughout.Kazu was punctual, a safe driver and very thoughtful and communicated very well!. Highly recommend , this is so very worth it!”

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8.Nagano Snow Monkeys and Zenkoji Tour with Temples

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 19 reviews · 12 hours

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano in a private, climate-controlled vehicle with a licensed guide. See Jigokudani’s snow monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple, Obuse, Shibu Onsen, and Matsushiro Castle Ruins. Guides may speak English, Urdu, Japanese, or Hindi, and pickup is available across Tokyo and nearby areas.

“Very comfortable, relaxing and easy to see the tourist attractions. The snow monkey park is definitely the highlight of the trip. Spectacular view and cute monkeys 🐒 It’s a good option for chill day out.”

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9.Tokyo/Nagano: private Tour with Snow Monkey Park & Temples

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 13 reviews · 10 - 12 hours

Travel by private SUV from Tokyo or Nagano with an English-speaking driver such as Ali, Kashif, or Mirza. See bathing macaques at Jigokudani, visit Zenkoji Temple, explore Shibu Onsen and Obuse, and add winter snow-dome scenery. Expect a long but flexible day with hotel pickup.

“Ali confirmed via text the night before and arrived right on time. He was very warm and friendly and his English was fluent. He drove very safely and went out of his way to make sure I had a great time. He generously offered to stop anywhere I wanted to photograph. He had water and snacks on hand. It was a wonderful experience, fun, interesting and well worth it. Highly recommend!”

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10.Togakushi & Best of Nagano: Snow Monkeys, Obuse and more

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 12 reviews · 5 hours - 510 minutes · from $121Best value

Travel by private car from Nagano to Togakushi’s sacred cedar path, guided by an English-speaking host such as Dai or Kazuki. Add Snow Monkeys, Obuse, Shibu Onsen, Zenkoji, Garyu Park, or April cherry blossoms, with local soba and flexible hotel or station drop-off.

“tour was fun but we were struggling to get in touch with the host the day before until very late, they never reached out, i had to contact the platform customer support. host took photos of us but never sent them to us, nor could i reach them on whatsapp. overall communication wasn’t great”

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11.Nagano Snow Monkey Park Zenkoji Temple Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · 1 day

Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle from Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagano, Hakuba, or GALA Yuzawa to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Obuse, Zenkoji Temple, Matsushiro Castle, and Shibu Onsen. English-speaking guides such as Ali, Khan, Lin, and Zubair have tailored stops to guests’ interests.

“Outstanding day! Khan, our guide, was excellent. His English was very good and he was attentive to what we wanted to see and do. He got us to the Snow Monkey Park with lots of time to do the 1.5 km hike to the park entrance and spend plenty of time viewing and photographing the monkeys. The Zenjoki Temple has 5 shrines and a number of large buddahs. We had not seen a temple complex as large or as intricate as this one. All in all an outstanding day. I can't recommend this tour and Khan enough.”

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12.F: Tokyo:Nagano snow monkey/Zenko Ji temple private day tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 7 reviews · 10 hours

Travel from Tokyo or Nagano in a private vehicle with an English-speaking guide such as Ali or Safraz. Visit Jigokudani Monkey Park, 1,400-year-old Zenkoji Temple, Yudanaka, and Obuse, with hotel transfers, drinks, Wi-Fi, and a flexible route.

“OMG, the Snow Monkey Tour was wonderful .We got to chill with the famous Japanese macaques in their natural hot springs. The snow was falling, and these little furballs were just soaking it up, playing, and being their adorable selves The scenery was straight out of a postcard, and the experience was super unique! Highly recommend it if you're into wildlife and nature.”

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13.Snow Monkeys and Zenkoji Temple Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 7 reviews

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano in private luxury transport with an English-speaking driver such as Moazam, Cheema, Atif, or Naroz. Walk to Snow Monkey Park, then visit Zenkoji Temple, Takei Shrine, and Ojoji Temple. Expect a long day, about four hours each way to the monkeys.

“Cheema was very helpful , friendly and profesional during the whole experience from Monkey farm to temple . He made the whole journey very pleasant and comfortable. Thank you Cheema”

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