A trip to the Saga Arashiyama scenic district in Kyoto is definitely not complete without a hike up Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama. Now there are quite a number of “Arashiyama Parks” in this district but this one is, in my opinion, the most special. It features a rather long hike up the summit where I then got up close and personal with wild Japanese macacques.
To get to Arashiyama Monkey Park, I first had to find the Ichitani-Munakata-Jinja Shrine. This was relatively easy since the entrance to the shrine was quite close to the Arashiyama Tsusen South Boarding Area that I first saw when I visited the Arashiyama Park Nakanoshima Area.
After crossing the Togetsu Small Bridge, I turned right and followed the path up until I saw this sign and stairs.
Hike Up Arashiyama Monkey Park and Feed the Monkeys
I think I already talked about the Ichitani-Munakata-Jinja Shrine when I wrote about my experience crossing Togetsukyo Bridge and walking around the Arashiyama Park Nakanoshima area.
The shrine is dedicated to the Munakata Sanjojin but it's really more famous for being the entrance point to Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama.
The climb up was relatively short and the path was lined with these lantern posts on each side. Then once we got to the level of the shrine, there was this torii gate with some shimenawa hanging from its nuki or the lower of its horizontal beams. Despite being a relatively small shrine, it was actually quite lively due to the people lining up to go up the Monkey Park.
One of the first structures I noticed after getting up here was the chozuya. Rather, I initially thought it was a chozuya but when I looked closer there wasn't any water inside the chozubachi. Turns out, this was repurposed into a saisenbako where visitors and worshipers can toss in their monetary offerings.
Here's another torii gate. If you go down the path leading up to it, you'll find yourself facing the Katsura River with a view of its Ichinoi Weir. Not many people go up here from there though as it's a little farther away from the Togetsu Small Bridge.
Here's the shrine dedicated to the Munakata Sanjojin. Like I said earlier, it's rather small and off to its side you'll see racks where you can hang ema. As for where you can get the ema, there's a building off to the left (if you're facing the shrine) where you can purchase them.
So this is the building I was talking about. Off to its side, you'll notice a small booth where people are lining up. That's where you can purchase the tickets to get inside Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama.
When compared to other temples, shrines, and parks that I've been to here, the 800JPY fee for admission to the park is relatively high. Typically most shrines and temples charge around 500JPY so I was surprised at the rate. Later on though, I realized that the admission fee was totally worth it
Despite the line, I actually managed to get a ticket in no time at all. The staff were very professional and processed our payment right away. As with most landmarks that charge a fee here in Japan though, you should ideally have your money ready when it's your turn to pay.
I’d also suggest that you read the instructions on the ticket regarding interactions with the monkeys. One of the notable warnings here include not staring at the monkeys in the eye which in the animal world is a sign of aggression/threatening behaviour. Other than the warnings, the ticket also has a guide map that you can reference in the event that you might get lost (very unlikely).
Now before hiking up, I’d suggest getting hydrated and to bring water with you. Now if you forgot your water bottle then there are vending machines near the ticket counter area that sell a wide range of softdrinks. I wouldn't really recommend some of these because of their sugar content but they are better than nothing.
After a couple of minutes loitering around the ticket counter, I decided to start the hike up along with a group. You could go at this alone but I thought that it would have been nice to talk with others while hiking up to the summit. In terms of safety, there's actually no need to worry as the park is well maintained and the monkeys typically won't attack unprovoked.
The steps going up were okay though I think it could have been better aesthetically. In terms of functionality though, they were perfect and I liked that there were also rails that I could hold onto. Still, I would definitely recommend using the ramp especially if you're not comfortable going up steps or if you’re an elderly individual.
The walking path didn't have any barriers so you could theoretically get off of it and explore the wooded area. With that being said, please don't listen to your intrusive thoughts and go out of the walking path. Kidding aside, the view of the forest here was actually quite nice and the hike itself ended up being refreshing because of the clean air.
It's extremely hard to get lost here as there are signs everywhere pointing to the direction of the summit. At some point though, the path does end up looking dilapidated with cracks and potholes. It's still very walkable and people used to walking probably won't find any issues with these.
As you go up, you'll also notice signs along the walking path. A lot of these are the warnings that you saw in my ticket earlier. The ones in the following images were roughly a quarter of the way up the walking path.
Aside from warnings, there are also signs here that detail what these monkeys are. This actually won't be the first time I get to see these animals. If you've read my experience at Jigokudani, you'd know that these are the very same monkeys that you'd find there.
As I continued on with the hike, I noticed the condition of the walking path getting more run-down. Structurally though, it was still very solid but the various cracks and holes were very noticeable. I would probably not go through the hike if it was raining hard though.
Thankfully the weather was absolutely great during my visit so I didn't have any problems with the state of the walking path. In fact, I think it added that sense of adventure to this hike that I didn't really notice with the other landmarks I visited. Having the sun out also meant I got to see the forest's wonderful evergreen foliage.
So this was an interesting sign that I happened to come across. It features an infographic about the average weight of both the adult female and male macaque. Apparently, baby macaques weigh only 500 grams at birth and then stop putting on weight once they get to 10 years of age.
Along the way there are benches that you can sit on if you're feeling tired from the hike. This particular spot was actually really nice since it also was in the shade. While I was tempted to rest here, I decided to soldier on as I knew there was an area in the summit where I could rest.
That said, don't force yourself to go up even if you're feeling tired.
A couple more minutes of walking and I finally came across a building that I initially thought was my destination. Turns out, I still had a couple of more steps to climb up. The building seemed like it was being used by workers who were setting up a swing so I decided to continue on up rather than spend time here asking around.
Based on the slides and swings, it seems like this is the Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama (or at least this specific area) Playground area. It is mainly targeted at kids or the kids at heart. Let me tell you, the moment I saw that slide my heart skipped a beat!
I just couldn't wait to try going down on it.
So again, you can choose to go up via the stairs or using the ramp. I honestly wasn't feeling the stairs so I decided to go the easy route. Aside from it not being as tiring, the view from here also wasn't that bad.
Speaking of views, I finally caught sight of the stars of this park. The macaques were surprisingly not as active and some were quite content basking in the sun's rays. This fellow above was grooming themself and didn't seem to have a care in the world that there were people milling about.
Just before reaching the summit, I took a little rest as I had to hike up a set of stairs again. While this was just a short hike up, I also had been walking for quite some time at that point. Right next to the stairs going up the summit is a sign talking about the do's and dont’s of taking pictures of the macaques.
Once I got up the stairs, one of the first things I saw was this macaque sitting by a pond. The little guy actually looked a little shy so I made sure I took his picture when he wasn't looking at me. If you read the sign just a couple of images earlier, it's actually good practice to take pictures of these guys while they're not looking.
These animals might be used to people but they also feel threatened easily when they notice a camera pointed directly at them.
As for the view here at the summit, it was definitely worth the hike. There are plenty of chairs here that you can sit on and just soak in the view of the city of Kyoto below. Now you're probably thinking, what about the heat?
Yes, the sun was definitely out in full force but this visit was also in early winter so the colder temperature canceled out the heat somehow.
I’ve been to a lot of landmarks in Kyoto and while I’d recommend them for adults, I just don't see them being great for kids. Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama is quite different though. Aside from the monkeys and the Playground area, there are these colorful banana benches that a lot of kids would probably enjoy playing around in.
Still in the observation area at the summit, I came across this sightseeing telescope with a panoramic map of Kyoto with some notable landmarks highlighted. Take note though that the telescope is coin-operated. I didn't bother using it as I was actually more excited to participate in the next activity.
Before I proceeded to the Iwatayama Summit Rest Area building, I took a picture of this altitude marker. So the summit is actually 160 meters above sea level which makes this mountain relatively small. If you are feeling adventurous and actually have a high level of fitness then a hike up Atagoyama which is just across the Katsura river (near Arashiyama) might be more of a challenge.
I finally proceeded to the rest area for the macaque feeding activity. Now there are plenty of places in Japan where you can interact with these macaques. I don’t think there are many of these places though that allow you to get as close to them as here in Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama.
From what I researched, there are about a hundred of these monkeys here. Obviously though, only a few of them typically show up. As I was going inside the rest area, I could count maybe a dozen or more of these little guys waiting to be given food.
The rest area is closed at all times to keep out the monkeys. More importantly, the feeding activity is only allowed inside. Once you take the food bait outside (or really any food) then expect to be swarmed by these little guys.
It was surprisingly warm inside thanks to the potbelly stove in the center. This is kind of needed here especially during the winter season as the area does get snow. Thankfully, it was still early December when I got here so it was just a bit cold.
This is the bait that's available here at the rest area. You can choose from either peanuts or sliced apples and these range in price from 100JPY to 200JPY. I ended up getting both as they were relatively cheap.
When it came time to feed them, the monkeys just waited for me to hand out the bait and immediately swiped it when it was within arms reach. They seem used to this and were surprisingly gentle when they did get the bait. I did notice that some of them seemed like they were already full and were more interested in just being close to the people handing them food from inside the enclosure.
There were times that I actually felt like I was the one being observed instead of the other way around. I found that some of the monkeys really weren't even interested in the food and were more curious about the people inside. There was even one that was desperately trying to find a way in for some reason.
For the most part though, the monkeys were really just chill. Later on I found out that park staff actually fed them outside of the enclosure. It's probably why a lot of them were just disinterested in the food that was offered to them.
After my turn feeding them, I then got outside as more people started pouring inside the rest area to try their hand at feeding the macaques. It wasn't really that much of a crowd but I also wanted to see what the other monkeys were up to. Turns out, it was very chaotic as they were everywhere with one even going up the roof.
I'm not quite sure how he got up here but this guy was probably the most photogenic of the macaques that I took a picture of that day. Just look at how he seems to glow as the sun's rays hit his fur. If there was an aura-farming competition in the animal kingdom then I'm pretty sure he'd get at least top 3.
Kidding aside, I took a break from observing the animals and found myself again admiring the Kyoto skyline. I couldn't really help but marvel at how insanely wide and dense the city is. For real though, it really has no business looking this spectacular from up here.
While there were older macaques that were also acting rambunctious, it was the younger ones that were really full of energy. If you've been online the last month or so, you'd probably seen the viral macaque Punch-kun. In hindsight, the young ones here had that same cute gremlin energy just without the surrogate plush toy.
This baby was such a menace that I was laughing as I took this image. The little guy (or maybe it was a girl) just couldn't seem to wait to get fed so they ended up climbing on top of their mom's head. What's great about this though was that the mom was all game about their offspring using their head as a jumping board.
Eventually, the little guy did end up getting his food so all's well that ends well I guess.
After they've had their fill of the food given to them by guests, the macaques would typically find some place to either be alone by themselves or groom each other. This is said to be a way for them to maintain social bonds as well as to remove parasites. It was actually kind of cute seeing them grooming each other without a care in the world.
Other than being a decorative element in this area, the pond primarily functions as the macaques’ water source. After having his fill at the rest area, I found this particular fellow drinking ravenously from the pond.
Here's a closer look at the view of Kyoto from here. You'll notice the Katsura River in the middleground and what I think is the Saga District on its northern bank. Of course, you also have a pair of macaques photobombing the view in the foreground.
I said earlier that I wanted to try going down the slide at the Playground area but that plan unfortunately fell through. It was probably the rush I got seeing the views but I ended up completely forgetting. Like a lot of the destinations that I've been to though, I can hopefully come back to give that slide a try.
The hike back down was ultimately uneventful though it was very energizing. Again, the quality of the air here is actually quite nice despite being technically still within the city. That said, it might not be this good all the time so your visit might end up being quite different from mine.
Before exiting, you might want to check out the building the ticket counter is connected to as it also functions as a souvenir shop. You can purchase monkey-themed plushies, keychains, and even refrigerator magnets for your loved ones/friends back home. Depending on the item, prices can range from 300JPY to as much as 1200JPY.
My visit to Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama finally draws to a close. It was, in all honesty, such a great experience. The walking path was relatively easy to hike up and featured scenic views.
Once I reached the summit, I was simply awe-struck by the panoramic view of Kyoto that I got to witness from there. Then of course there were the Japanese macaques themselves with their cute and goofy antics.So is this monkey park a must-visit if you're in Kyoto then? I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't.
While it has some issues, I think these are really just overshadowed by its positives. Sure there might be areas in the walking path that have cracks and potholes but it's still very walkable. Really the only issue that might prevent me from recommending this is that it does take a while to get to the top.
I'd suggest that if you do plan to come here make sure that it's your first visit for the day.Will you be including Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama in your Kyoto itinerary? If yes then we'd love to hear about why in the comments section!
