YamanouchiSnow Monkey Town
Green ridges of Shiga Kogen seen from the Nozoki viewpoint

Things to See in Yamanouchi

From the monkey pool to the 2,307 m summit of Mount Yokote — the sights of Yamanouchi and the best day trips around Nagano.

Yamanouchi stacks its sights by altitude. Down in the valley are the hot spring towns; a little higher, in a side gorge, the monkey park; and at the top of a winding road, the ponds, peaks and ski slopes of Shiga Kogen.

We have grouped the guides the same way, and added the places most travellers combine with a visit: Obuse on the railway from Nagano, Zenko-ji in Nagano itself, and Togakushi, Matsumoto and Nozawa Onsen further afield. Each page covers what to do, how to get there and what we would want to know before going.

Snow monkeys & onsen towns

A snow monkey resting at the edge of the hot spring pool in falling snow Snow monkeys & onsen towns

Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park

Wild macaques in a hot spring

The only place in the world where wild monkeys are known to bathe in a hot spring. A 1.6 km forest trail from Kanbayashi leads to a steaming pool in the Yokoyu River valley where a troop of Japanese macaques warms up through the long Nagano winter.

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A narrow lane of wooden inns in Shibu Onsen lit by street lamps at night Snow monkeys & onsen towns

Shibu Onsen

Nine bathhouses and cobbled lanes

A hot spring town with some 1,300 years of history, packed into a few narrow cobbled lanes of wooden ryokan. Overnight guests borrow a key and tour nine public bathhouses in yukata and wooden sandals, stamping a towel at each for good fortune.

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A quiet street of ryokan in Yudanaka Onsen Snow monkeys & onsen towns

Yudanaka Onsen

The gateway hot spring town

The end of the Nagano Electric Railway and the front door to Yamanouchi: a lived-in onsen town with a day bath beside the station, family-run ryokan, footbaths and buses to the monkeys and Shiga Kogen.

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Shiga Kogen & the mountains

Mist over Kido Pond and white birches in Shiga Kogen Shiga Kogen & the mountains

Shiga Kogen

Olympic slopes and highland ponds

A volcanic plateau above Yamanouchi, 1,300 to 2,300 m high, inside a national park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In winter its 18 linked ski areas form what is generally called Japan’s largest ski resort; in summer and autumn it is cool hiking country of ponds and marshes.

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The summit chairlift on Mount Yokote with Shiga Kogen spread out below Shiga Kogen & the mountains

Mount Yokote & Shibu Pass

A 2,307 m summit by lift

The highest point of Shiga Kogen you can reach without hiking boots. An outdoor escalator and a chairlift carry you to a summit with views across to the Northern Alps, a mountain-top bakery and, in winter, trees cased in frost.

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The SORA terrace sign on the observation deck at Ryuoo Mountain Resort Shiga Kogen & the mountains

Ryuoo & SORA terrace

Above a sea of clouds

A huge ropeway at Ryuoo Mountain Resort in the Kita-Shiga highlands lifts you to SORA terrace at 1,770 m, a deck and café known for sunsets over a sea of clouds. In winter the same mountain is one of the area’s most popular snowboarding hills.

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Day trips around Nagano

A traditional house in Obuse in winter Day trips around Nagano

Obuse

Hokusai and chestnuts

A small, handsome town on the railway between Nagano and Yudanaka. The painter Hokusai worked here in his eighties, and his museum, a temple ceiling he painted and a clutch of chestnut confectioners make it the easiest and most rewarding stop on the way to the monkeys.

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The main hall of Zenko-ji Temple in Nagano Day trips around Nagano

Zenko-ji Temple, Nagano

One of Japan’s great pilgrim temples

Nagano city grew up around this temple, founded in the 7th century and open to believers of every sect. Its vast main hall is a National Treasure, and beneath it a pitch-dark passage leads pilgrims to the “key to paradise”.

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The cedar avenue leading to Togakushi’s inner shrine in the snow Day trips around Nagano

Togakushi

Cedar avenues, shrines and soba

A mountain village north-west of Nagano with five shrines strung through the forest. The walk to the inner shrine passes a thatched gate and an avenue of cedars around 400 years old; afterwards, Togakushi soba is among the most famous in Japan.

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The black keep of Matsumoto Castle above its moat Day trips around Nagano

Matsumoto

The black “Crow Castle”

Nagano Prefecture’s second city has one of Japan’s finest original castles — a black-and-white keep from the late 16th century, mirrored in its moat with the Alps behind — plus streets of old storehouses and an excellent art museum.

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The wooden Oyu bathhouse in the centre of Nozawa Onsen Day trips around Nagano

Nozawa Onsen

A ski village of free bathhouses

A hot spring village to the north with a big ski resort and 13 neighbourhood bathhouses kept up by the villagers. It is the obvious companion to Yamanouchi for anyone building a Nagano onsen-and-snow trip.

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How to fit it together

  • One day: the monkey park in the morning, Shibu Onsen for lunch and a stroll, Obuse or Zenko-ji on the way back to Nagano.
  • Two days: arrive after lunch, tour Shibu’s baths in the evening, see the monkeys at opening time and spend the afternoon in Shiga Kogen or at SORA terrace.
  • Three days or more: add a ski day or a pond hike in Shiga Kogen, and Togakushi or Nozawa Onsen.

For transport between these places, see getting to Yamanouchi; for a place to sleep, where to stay.

Plan your visit

Make Yamanouchi the highlight of your Japan trip

The snow monkeys are an easy day out from Nagano and a long but doable one from Tokyo. Compare guided tours, private drivers and onsen-town walks and book in a couple of taps.

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