Few wildlife encounters anywhere in the world match the scene at Jigokudani Monkey Park in Nagano Prefecture: Japanese macaques — commonly called snow monkeys — descending from pine-forested slopes to soak in natural hot spring pools, their red faces and thick winter fur wreathed in steam rising against white snow. The image has become one of Japan’s most internationally recognised, and the experience of standing quietly beside bathing monkeys in a winter valley is genuinely extraordinary.
About the Japanese Macaque
The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) is the world’s most northerly non-human primate, inhabiting the Japanese archipelago from subtropical Yakushima Island to subarctic Hokkaido. The Jigokudani troop — around 160 individuals — has used the hot spring pool since 1963, when a young female first entered the water reportedly to retrieve dropped soybeans. The behaviour spread through social learning across the troop and has been maintained across generations ever since.
Macaques are highly intelligent social animals with complex dominance hierarchies. Adult males average 11 kg; females 8 kg. Their lifespan is 20–30 years in the wild. During winter, their coats thicken significantly; in summer months many are thin-coated and the hot spring is used less frequently. Infants born each spring are a particular draw for visitors from May onward.
Jigokudani Monkey Park
The park sits in a narrow valley at 850 metres altitude in the Yokoyu River gorge, within Joshinetsu Kogen National Park. “Jigokudani” means “Hell Valley” — named for the steam and boiling water that rises from the ground around the hot spring pool. The park is operated by a preservation organisation and is open year-round.
A single natural hot spring pool is maintained within the park grounds. The monkeys enter and exit freely — they are completely wild and live in the surrounding forest. The pool water maintains approximately 40 °C year-round. In deep winter (December–March), when snow can reach knee-depth on the walking path, the contrast between the steaming pool and white forest creates the iconic photographs most associated with Jigokudani.
Visiting the Park
The park entrance requires a 30-minute walk along a forested path from the Kanbayashi Onsen bus stop. The path is well-maintained but can be icy or snowy in winter — waterproof footwear with grip is strongly recommended from December through March. Trekking poles are available for loan at the trailhead. The park is open daily 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (last entry 3:30 pm); entry fee is ¥800 for adults.
Monkeys are most reliably in the pool on cold winter mornings and afternoons. On warm spring and summer days they may be in the surrounding forest rather than the pool. The park prohibits feeding, touching or approaching closer than approximately two metres. Maintain calm, avoid sustained eye contact (which macaques read as threatening) and never block an animal’s path. Photography is freely permitted.
Best Time to Visit
January and February are the peak months for snow conditions and pool bathing behaviour. March often combines lingering snow with the first spring infants. Summer visits (June–August) are warm, the monkeys are active in forest canopy above the path, and crowds are smaller — though fewer animals use the pool. Autumn foliage (late October–November) with the first cold snaps brings monkeys back toward the pool and adds colour to the valley setting.
Weekday mornings before 10:00 am offer the best combination of animal activity, light quality and manageable visitor numbers. Weekend afternoons from January through March bring the largest crowds, which can reduce the tranquillity of the encounter.
Getting There
From Nagano City: take the Nagano Electric Railway to Yudanaka Station (approximately 40 minutes from Nagano), then a bus or taxi to Kanbayashi Onsen. Direct bus services run from Nagano Station during winter peak season. Nagano is 90 minutes from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Many visitors combine a Jigokudani morning with an afternoon at Zenkoji temple in Nagano City, or extend into the Nozawa Onsen or Shiga Kogen ski resort areas nearby.
Staying Nearby
Kanbayashi Onsen and Shibu Onsen (15 minutes by taxi) each offer traditional ryokan with private and communal hot spring baths, making a one-night stay ideal. Shibu Onsen’s nine bathhouses on its cobbled stone street are famous in their own right and connect naturally to a Jigokudani day trip. Reservations during winter weekends should be made weeks in advance.