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Jigokudani Monkey Park

Japan's snow monkeys in February: the walk through a frozen forest above Nagano to Jigokudani, where wild macaques soak in a steaming hot spring.

In February 2024 we took a winter detour from Tokyo up into the mountains of Nagano, to visit the only monkeys on earth famous for having their own onsen. Jigokudani means "hell valley", which felt dramatic until we saw the steam rising out of the frozen gorge and understood the name completely.

Selfie of Dileep in a bobble hat and Inga in a pale green scarf on a snowy forest trail with sunlit mountains behind
The walk in: a snowy trail through cedar forest, with the mountains showing off behind us.
Dozens of Japanese macaques gathered on snowy rocks beside a steaming river at the bottom of a gorge
The welcome committee. The troop lives wild in this gorge and drifts down for the warmth.
Three Japanese macaques at a steaming hot spring pool, two soaking up to their shoulders and one sitting on the snowy rocks
The famous bath. Two in, one supervising, all completely unbothered by the paparazzi.
Dileep taking a selfie in front of snow-covered cliffs while two macaques groom each other on the rocks behind him
You are asked not to touch or feed the monkeys. Nobody said anything about photobombing, which works in both directions.

It is a long day out from Tokyo by train and bus, and worth every minute: come in winter, wear proper boots, and give yourself time to just stand there watching them soak. For the rest of that trip, start with our Tokyo post.