Yudanaka is where most visitors first set foot in Yamanouchi: the last stop on the Nagano Electric Railway, about 45–50 minutes from Nagano by limited express. It is the largest of the hot spring districts that together make up the Yudanaka–Shibu Onsen-kyo — Yudanaka, Shin-Yudanaka, Hoshikawa, Honami, Andai, Shibu, Kanbayashi, Kakuma and Jigokudani.
The town is less of a showpiece than Shibu and more of a working place, which is part of its appeal: quiet streets, steam rising from drains, long-established family inns and local restaurants. The haiku poet Kobayashi Issa was a regular visitor in the early 19th century, and a riverside walking path is named after him.
Top things to do: Yudanaka Onsen
Bathe at the station
Kaede-no-yu, a public day bath right behind Yudanaka Station, has indoor and open-air tubs for a few hundred yen and a free footbath outside — ideal while you wait for a train. The old station building next door is a registered cultural property.
Visit the Peace Kannon
On the hill above town stands the World Peace Kannon, a bronze statue about 25 m tall, reached by a short climb through a temple precinct. There are wide views over the valley from the top.
Taste Shiga Kogen Beer and local sake
The Tamamura Honten brewery, founded in 1805 on the road between Yudanaka and Kanbayashi, makes Engi sake and, since 2004, the well-regarded Shiga Kogen Beer. It has a shop and small gallery where you can taste. Bottles are also sold in most local stores.
Eat soba and apples
Yamanouchi is buckwheat and orchard country. Look for handmade soba — the Sugakawa district is known for its own style — and, from late summer to November, roadside stalls selling apples, grapes and peaches.
How to get there
- From Nagano: Nagaden limited express trains (“Snow Monkey” and “Yukemuri”) run from the underground Nagaden Nagano Station to Yudanaka in about 45–50 minutes; local trains take around 70 minutes, sometimes with a change at Shinshu-Nakano.
- From Tokyo: the Hokuriku Shinkansen reaches Nagano in roughly 80–100 minutes; add the Nagaden train for a journey of about 2.5–3 hours in all.
- Onward: buses for Shibu Onsen, Kanbayashi / the Snow Monkey Park and Shiga Kogen leave from in front of the station.
Insider tips
- Japan Rail Passes are not valid on the Nagano Electric Railway. If you will also visit the monkey park, look at the Snow Monkey Pass sold at Nagaden Nagano Station.
- There are coin lockers at Yudanaka Station, useful if you want to see the monkeys before checking in.
- Restaurants close early and many shut one day a week. If your ryokan rate does not include dinner, eat before 19:00 or ask your host to reserve.
Best tours & tickets: Yudanaka Onsen
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Yudanaka Onsen and the rest of the Yamanouchi area:
Afternoon guided tour from US$88 Baby Monkeys & Historical Onsen Town: Scenic Forest Walk
An afternoon tour for people arriving in Yamanouchi around midday: the forest trail and the monkeys with a guide, then the historic lanes of Shibu Onsen and a stop at a sake brewery before the evening.
- Afternoon start — easy after a morning arrival
- Guided forest walk to the monkey park
- Shibu Onsen and a sake brewery visit
Half-day guided tour from US$76 Nagano: Snow Monkey Park, Soba Lunch and Shibu Onsen Tour
A compact half day that covers Yamanouchi’s essentials: the walk to the monkeys, a bowl of handmade soba, and a stroll through the cobbled lanes of Shibu Onsen collecting bathhouse stamps. The lowest-priced guided option on this page.
- Guided visit to the Snow Monkey Park
- Handmade soba noodle lunch
- Shibu Onsen’s lanes and bathhouse stamp rally
Guided day trip from US$138 Nagano: Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake Day Trip
The best-reviewed snow monkey tour on GetYourGuide by a wide margin. A local guide meets you at Nagano Station, shows you round Zenko-ji, then takes you out to Yamanouchi for lunch, a sake tasting and an unhurried afternoon with the monkeys — transport and park admission are handled for you.
- Zenko-ji Temple with a guide in the morning
- Lunch and a sake tasting included
- The forest walk to the Jigokudani monkey pool
