Nagano Monkey Park ToursSnow Monkey Tour from Tokyo with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch
This is the snow monkey tour from Tokyo most travellers end up on, and the numbers explain why: one booking covers the coach from Shinjuku, a beef sukiyaki lunch, the ¥800 park ticket and an English-speaking guide, for $138.55. H.I.S. — one of Japan's biggest tour companies, with 5,994 reviews and a 90% good-review rate across its Klook operations — runs it daily in season. The price you really pay is time: 08:00 to 20:00, with roughly three hours on the expressway each way.
About This Tour
12 hours, 08:00 to 20:00 (to ~21:00 late January-late February)
$138.55 per adult, park admission and sukiyaki lunch included
4.7 from 552 reviews on Klook
H.I.S. Co., Ltd — live English guide plus audio guide
Self-guided time at Jigokudani, tickets handled for you
Kamakura no Sato snow-hut village, late January to late February
Listing at a Glance
The same fields on every tour page here, read from the operator's listing in August 2026. Prices and availability are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
- Tour name Snow Monkey Tour from Tokyo with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch
- Operator H.I.S. Co., Ltd
- Booking platform Klook
- Product ID 28811
- Starting price $138.55 USD per adult
- Price last checked August 2026
- Rating 4.7 out of 5
- Review count 552 reviews
- Review source Klook verified reviews
- Duration 12 hours, 08:00-20:00
- Time at the monkey park Self-guided slot; budget the 30+ minute walk each way inside it
- Meeting point Shinjuku LOVE Object, meet 07:45, depart 08:00
- Drop-off Shinjuku Station West Exit ~20:00; ~21:00 in the Kamakura no Sato season
- Transport Coach bus; size varies with the group
- Group size 1 to 46 participants
- Guide language English (live guide + audio guide)
- Park entry (¥800) Included, plus Kamakura no Sato admission in season
- Lunch Included — Japanese beef sukiyaki, ~45 minutes
- Drinks None stated
- Hotel pickup Not included — fixed Shinjuku meeting point
- Cancellation deadline 24 hours before the activity date
- Reserve now, pay later Not offered on this listing
- Minimum age Ages 0-2 free without a seat
- Physical difficulty Moderate — 30+ minute snowy walk from parking to the park
- Wheelchair accessibility Not stroller or wheelchair accessible
- Wildlife guarantee None — operator warns monkeys may be absent and spend limited time in the water
- Ethical notes Do not engage the monkeys or stare into their eyes; no feeding
- Weather limitations Snow and ice on the trail — bring snow boots and anti-slip gear
- Late arrivals No refund for latecomers; be at Shinjuku 15 minutes early
- Alternative tour More park time from Nagano: see /nagano-snow-monkeys-zenkoji-sake-day-trip/
Check Dates and Availability
Pick a date and check the current price on Klook. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the activity date.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer Whether the 12-hour Tokyo day is worth it, and the winter schedule change to know
At $138.55 this is the most complete snow monkey tour from Tokyo: sukiyaki lunch, ¥800 park ticket, English guide, all in one 08:00-20:00 day from Shinjuku. Rated 4.7 by 552 travellers. The honest math: about six of the twelve hours are motorway. If you can sleep in Nagano instead, the top-rated Nagano day trip buys more park time for a similar price — but as a one-day strike from a Tokyo base, this is the polished option among the tours we compare.
Key takeaways
- Meet 07:45 at Shinjuku LOVE Object — latecomers lose the fare, no refund
- Late January-late February adds the Kamakura no Sato snow-hut village and pushes the return to ~21:00
- Sukiyaki lunch and park admission are both in the price; the cheaper Tokyo bus sells lunch separately
- Park time is self-guided — the guide briefs you, then the trail and the troop are yours
- Wear real winter footwear: reviews repeatedly mention slips on the icy trail, and guides sell shoe spikes on board
How the Day Actually Runs
The Shinjuku start
Meeting time is 07:45 at the LOVE Object sculpture on Shinjuku's west side, departure 08:00 sharp. H.I.S. is blunt about punctuality: after the scheduled time the bus leaves at the staff's discretion and latecomers get nothing back. The ride north runs about three hours with rest-area stops — reviewers describe clean, comfortable coaches and use the stops for snacks.
Seat belts are legally required on Japanese tour buses, and the coach size flexes with bookings, from mid-size up to a full 46-seater. This is mass-market touring done by the company that practically invented it in Japan; the machine works.
Sukiyaki, then the walk
Lunch comes before the monkeys: a 45-minute Japanese beef sukiyaki sitting that reviewers consistently rate a highlight — 'sumptuous', in one February 2026 review. The menu can shift with provisioning, and allergies are handled if flagged ahead.
Then the part the listing warns about twice: from the parking area it is more than 30 minutes on foot to the park entrance, on a trail that is snow and ice through the winter peak. One reviewer watched fellow travellers in white tennis shoes learn this lesson; another was offered shoe spikes for sale by the guide on the bus. Buy or bring them. At the park your time is self-guided — the pool, the troop, your camera, no barriers between you.
The Kamakura no Sato season
From late January to late February the tour adds Kamakura no Sato, a village of built snow domes (kamakura) lit in the evening — the reason the winter return lands at Shinjuku around 21:00 instead of 20:00. Reviewers who caught it call it the perfect capper; ArlizKatrina in February 2026: 'So glad to experience my first snow in Nagano. Truly memorable and magical.'
Outside those weeks the stop does not run and the day ends an hour earlier. If seeing the snow domes matters, aim your booking inside that window; if catching an evening plan in Tokyo matters more, book outside it.
Tour Itinerary, Hour by Hour
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07:45
Meet at Shinjuku LOVE Object
Check in with the guide 15 minutes before the 08:00 departure. The bus does not wait.
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08:00
Coach north
About three hours on the expressway with rest stops. The guide briefs the day and the monkey etiquette on board.
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11:30
Beef sukiyaki lunch
45 minutes of Japanese sukiyaki; souvenir shopping at the same stop. Menu may vary with provisioning.
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13:00
Walk to Jigokudani
30-40 minutes from the parking area on the forest trail — icy in winter, spikes recommended.
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13:40
Snow Monkey Park, self-guided
Tickets are handled; the troop, the pool and the photographs are yours until the meeting time.
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15:30
Kamakura no Sato (late Jan-late Feb)
The snow-hut village, admission included, in its roughly month-long season. Skipped the rest of the year.
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20:00
Back at Shinjuku
Drop-off at Shinjuku Station West Exit around 20:00 — closer to 21:00 during the Kamakura no Sato weeks.
Things to Know Before You Book
The review record, read properly
4.7 from 552 reviews, with sub-scores of 4.8 for the guide, 4.7 for itinerary, 4.8 for transfer quality and 4.7 for value. The guides are the recurring highlight — Rico and Hana are named across multiple months of reviews for briefing the monkeys, the food and the terrain well. The recurring caveat is equally consistent: the drive is long, roughly three hours each way, and every honest five-star review admits it.
Read the reviews as a package: people who priced in the bus hours loved the day; nobody was surprised by the monkeys, only by the ice.
Who should book a different tour
If you can restructure your itinerary at all, compare hard against sleeping one night in Nagano and taking the top-rated Nagano day trip: similar money, a 09:35 start, 2.5 hours at the park instead of a tight self-guided slot, and the Shinkansen ride (about 1.5 hours from Tokyo) is faster than the coach anyway.
Staying near the ski areas? The $87.60 afternoon tour does the park guided for less. Want lunch optional and a slightly lower price from Tokyo? The buffet-and-museum trip exists — but mind its 72-hour cancellation window against the 24 hours here.
What to bring
Winter kit is not optional on this one — the operator says so, and the reviews prove it. Full winter kit: the what-to-wear guide.
- Snow boots or waterproof shoes with aggressive tread; add strap-on spikes December-March
- Gloves, hat, layered warm clothing — you will stand still at the pool in sub-zero air
- Cash for rest-stop snacks and souvenirs
- No visible plastic bags at the park — the monkeys read them as food and will come for them
- Patience for the bus: download something, the rest stops are short
Where This Tour Goes
From Shinjuku the coach runs about 250 km northwest to the Yokoyu valley trailhead; the last 1.6 km to the park is on foot for everyone.
Kamakura no Sato sits nearby and joins the route only from late January to late February.
Questions About This Tour
How long is the bus ride on the snow monkey tour from Tokyo?
About three hours each way from Shinjuku, with rest-area stops. The full day runs 08:00 to about 20:00 — and to roughly 21:00 from late January to late February, when the Kamakura no Sato snow-hut stop is added. There is no shorter road option from Tokyo; the park is 250 km away.
Is lunch really included?
Yes — a Japanese beef sukiyaki lunch of about 45 minutes is in the $138.55 price, with the menu subject to provisioning and allergy adjustments if you flag them ahead. On the other Tokyo departure the buffet lunch is a separate paid package, which is most of the price difference between them.
How much time do you get with the monkeys?
The park slot is self-guided and sits inside the early afternoon, and the 30-40 minute walk each way comes out of it. Practically you get around an hour at the pool. If maximum monkey time is your priority, the Nagano-departure day trip schedules a full 2.5 hours at the park.
What happens if the monkeys don't show up?
Nothing is refunded — the operator states plainly that the monkeys are wild, may not be present, and spend most of their time out of the water. Winter is the most reliable season. Check the park's official weekly appearance forecast before locking a date, and cancel free up to 24 hours out if the week looks wrong. The best-time guide maps the no-show risk by month.
Where exactly does the tour leave from?
The Shinjuku LOVE Object sculpture (by the Shinjuku I-Land Tower), meeting at 07:45 for an 08:00 departure. Drop-off is Shinjuku Station West Exit. Arrive 15 minutes early: the operator refunds nothing to latecomers and the bus departs on schedule.
Is the tour OK for young children?
Children 0-2 ride free without a seat and the group can include any age, but weigh the 12-hour day and the 30-40 minute icy walk honestly. Strollers cannot go up the trail at all. Families with small children often do better basing in Nagano and taking a shorter tour from there.
What Travellers Said
It was a wonderful tour with a lovely tour guide. First a sumptuous beef sukiyaki lunch, then hiking 40 minutes to see cute snow monkeys bathing in the hot spring. Bring cleats or anti-slip gear for shoes.
It was a long drive to see the monkeys — but Rico, our tour guide, was well prepared with her informative and entertaining presentation. The best tour guide we've ever had! Some portions of the path are indeed icy and slippery.
This tour price includes the bus, lunch, and park entrance tickets — just taking the bus by yourself would cost the same. Don't bring plastic bags! They will think you have food.
Verified Klook reviews for this tour.
Page last reviewed August 2026. Price, rating and review count read from the listing on August 2026. Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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