11 Winter Activities in Japan, Compared Side by Side

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 $135Best value

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.Private Tour Snow Monkey Park & Zenko-ji Temple

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 184 reviews · 1 day · from $445

Review of a private Tokyo to Nagano snow monkey tour with Zenko-ji, Shibu Onsen, Obuse, luxury transport, and practical planning tips.

“Our guide Sajawai provided a wonderful tour. Pre tour communication was great, picked up from hotel in a very comfortable van. Our family of 4 loved our visit to the Monkey park along with our stop to visit the temple. Highly recommend this tour for ease & comfort. Thank you from the King family (Ballarat, Australia)”

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5.Nagano Snow Monkey 1 Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch from Tokyo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 123 reviews · from $151

See Nagano’s snow monkeys from Tokyo with a sukiyaki lunch, guided transport, and a winter walk to steaming hot springs.

“We had a great time at Monkey snow park. However, guide had a very bad English pronunciation.. The ride was around 4 hours in one way.”

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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.Nagano Tokyo: Snow Monkey Private Day Tour Hotel Pick & Drop

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 84 reviews · 10 hours · from $455

Review of a private Nagano tour from Tokyo, featuring snow monkeys, Zenko-ji, Shibu Onsen, Obuse, and flexible hotel pickup.

“Jazib was a great guide and accommodated to our needs. He was very polite and was able to provide great insight to all our questions. I would highly recommend this tour it was an unforgettable family experience.”

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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.Snow Monkey Private Customize Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 54 reviews · from $490

See Nagano’s snow monkeys and Zenko-ji Temple on a private Tokyo day trip with flexible stops, hotel pickup, Wi-Fi, and an English-speaking driver.

“Moon was a great guide and worked with us to make a memorable tour. We decided to move around by subway and this was incorporated for us at the last minute with no problem. Great lunch selection also! Moon, please feel free to speak up more about all that you know about the visit points on your future tours!”

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10.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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11.1 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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