Japan’s 15 Best Nagano Tours

1.1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,020 reviews · from $151Our pick

Visit Zenko-ji, taste Nagano sake, enjoy a local lunch, and meet snow monkeys on this well-organized full-day tour from Nagano.

“This was a well planned out amazing tour. The Temple was amazing. The lunch was great the Sake tasing was great but the snow monkeys were the best part. There were so many monkeys everywhere. We will never forget this trip. Our tour guide Brent was very knowledgeable and gave us plenty of free time to explore each thing.”

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2.Nagano: Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 833 reviews · 8 - 12 hours · from $135

Visit Zenkoji Temple, taste Nagano sake, enjoy a generous local lunch, and see snow monkeys on this well-paced guided day trip.

“The day trip was absolutely amazing - exploring the temple, sake tasting and the food was so much more than expected and sooo yummy!! The snow monkeys were incredibly cute and fascinating to watch. Tom is one of the best tour guides we've ever had - very informative, funny and genuinely kind. He even took the time to AirDrop locations and recommendations for places to go on the coach ride home, which was such a thoughtful touch, along with handing out stickers. If you want to see the snow monkeys, you must do this trip! It's 100% worth the money. Thank you”

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3.Snow Monkey 1 Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 295 reviews · 1 day · from $151

See Japan’s snow monkeys, enjoy beef sukiyaki, and visit Nagano’s winter scenery on a long but rewarding day trip from Tokyo.

“Great day. Very long but totally worth it. Only piece of feedback is to make the pickup point a bit easier. We were very much on time but because the pickup was quite far away from the park, and in an unfamiliar area, we nearly missed the coach due to not knowing which road to take to find the pickup point (there were at least 10 others who had the same issue). "George" was lovely and was very funny. Thanks/Arigato Gozaimas!”

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4.Matsumoto Castle Tour & Samurai Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 128 reviews · 3 hours · from $88

Explore Matsumoto Castle, learn samurai history, and practice katana basics in costume on this engaging three-hour English tour.

“Excellent tour. Knowledgeable, personable guide. Fabulous Samurai instructor - she was enthusiastic, supportive and an excellent teacher. Recommend.”

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5.1-Day Tour from Nagano and Matsumoto Kamikochi & Matsumoto Castle

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 105 reviews · from $201

Combine Matsumoto Castle and Kamikochi on a guided day trip from Nagano, with transport, castle entry, mountain walks, and free time included.

“It was a full day of activities! We enjoyed the tour of the castle and city of Matsumoto. Our hike into the Kamikochi area was breathtaking. Devan was a great guide, very friendly and personable. We really enjoyed our day!”

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6.1-Day Snow Monkeys & Snow Fun in Shiga Kogen Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 94 reviews · from $184

Review of Nagano’s Shiga Kogen snow tour, with sledding, lunch, chairlift views, and a forest walk to Japan’s famous snow monkeys.

“The snow monkey park was a fun and interesting way to spend the morning. The lunch was better than we had expected for a tour and we all thoroughly enjoyed it after the hike. The afternoon spent at the Shiga-Kogen Highlands made the day though! We had way more fun than we thought we would and we all agreed that had we just done the snow monkey park alone, the day wouldn't have felt complete. We got lucky and had a really strong snow day during our tour. Our guides were great and we couldn't have asked for a better day.”

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7.Full-Day Tour: Matsumoto Castle & Kamikochi Alpine Valley

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 78 reviews · 12 hours · from $180

Review of the Matsumoto Castle and Kamikochi tour from Nagano, with castle history, Frog Street, alpine walks, timing, price, and practical tips.

“Shin was our guide for our day trip to Matsumoto Castle & Kamikochi, and our family thoroughly enjoyed this experience! Shin was attentive and helped us learn about the history of the places we visited. Of course the highlight of our trip was the Alpine Valley. The walk to the Kappa bridge is breathtaking and it’s a MUST experience if you are visiting Nagano!”

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8.Private Nagano 1-Day Tour:Snow Monkeys,Zenko-ji,Obuse,Sake,Onsen

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · from $337

Review of Nagano’s private snow monkey, Zenko-ji, Obuse, sake, and onsen tour, with practical advice on timing, value, transport, and guides.

“Tour guide was informational and his recommendation for lunch was awesome. Took us to a cherry farm during our tour. This was a private tour. We felt safe with him. Even chased an overly aggressive snow monkey away.”

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9.Matsumoto Castle Tour & Samurai Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 69 reviews · from $88

Explore Matsumoto Castle, learn samurai history, and practice safe sword kata in costume during this lively three-hour tour.

“De rondleiding in Matsumoto Castle was zeer leerrijk en dus zeker de moeite waard. De samurai experience was een telleurstelling. Ik had verwacht een haktest te mogen doen met een scherp zwaard. Ik heb vijf seconden een metalen oefenzwaard vastgehad en voor de rest een houten zwaard. Jan Bossaerts”

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10.Matsumoto Castle Town Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 58 reviews · 3 hours · from $63Best value

Walk Matsumoto’s samurai route to its famous castle, then explore Nawate and Nakamachi with an English-speaking local guide.

“Tom is an excellent guide and having lived in Japan for so many years, has a unique perspective which is refreshing and interesting. I would attend any tour guides by him in a heartbeat. Highly recommended!”

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11.Food & Cultural Walking Tour around Zenkoji temple in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 58 reviews · from $91

Taste oyaki, sake, matcha, and local sweets while exploring Zenkoji’s back streets and 1,400 years of Nagano culture.

“Masu is a fantastic guide. We had a few hours in Nagano after leaving our onsen in Shibu before heading to Kyoto. Masu only does very small tours, up to 8 people, and my husband and I were the only 2 on our tour. Masu knows secret, local pRead more”

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12.Nagano/Tokyo: Snow Monkey and Zenkoji Temple Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 54 reviews · from $505

Review of a private Tokyo to Nagano snow monkey and Zenkoji Temple tour, with luxury transport, flexible stops, costs, timing, and practical tips.

“The activity was amazing! And the driver was very nice and punctual. Would definitely do again!”

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13.1 Day Tour: Snow Monkeys & Snow Fun in Shiga Kogen

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 52 reviews · 9 hours · from $165

Review of the 9-hour Shiga Kogen snow tour with snow play, Japanese lunch, and a visit to Jigokudani’s famous snow monkeys.

“It was the best day and highlight of our Japan trip!! Our guide Endo was amazing. We have a 1 and 2 y.o babies and he was so accomodating ang patient. He explains things clearly. We had so much fun in the snow. The snow monkey is a bit of a hike especially with children but it was so worth it. I definitely would recommend this trip! Endo also took lots of wonderful photos for us!Thank you Endo, you are amazing!”

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14.Matsumoto Discovery – Half Day Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 43 reviews · from $64

Explore Matsumoto Castle, frog-themed Nawate Street, and historic Nakamachi with a local guide on this flexible three-hour walking tour.

“Tom was a great guide for our morning tour of Matsumoto. The castle was an obvious highlight and is arguably worth a visit to Matsumoto on its own. We enjoyed our visit to Matsumoto Castle more than any of the other more popular castles to visit in Kyoto, Osaka, or Nagoya.”

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15.From Matsumoto/Nagano: Nakasendo Trail Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 33 reviews · 1 day · from $189

Walk the historic Nakasendo from Tsumago to Magome on an 8-km guided hike with waterfalls, post towns, mountain views, and transport.

“Fantastic hike on the Nakasendo trail from Tsumago to Magome. Kim, our guide was very knowledgeable and happily answered our numerous questions along our way. We lucked upon a beautiful day for the hike too.”

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