While my stay in Nagano was rather short, it was in a lot of ways quite memorable. From a winter wonderland adventure at Snow Monkey Park to a solemn walk through Zenkoji Temple, here are the things/places that I would highly recommend you do/visit if you ever find yourself in Nagano.
A Visit to the Snow Monkey Park and Zenkoji Temple: 2 of the Top Things to Do in Nagano
My day trip to Jigokudani Yaen Koen or Snow Monkey Park, was without a doubt, one of the most memorable in my recent visit to Japan. It started with a scenic bus ride from Nagano Station to Yamanouchi. I got a Snow Monkey Pass at Nagano Station for JPY4000 and it covered the bus ride to and from Yamanouchi and admission into the park. Upon reaching the Yamanouchi bus stop, I then had to go on a more or less 40 minute walk where I came across awesome sights like this one of the Hotarutei Villas.
Other than the various inns, you’ll also likely come across stores like the one in the background of this image selling hot drinks, baked sweet potatoes, and crampons. If you didn’t get breakfast before coming here then I’d highly recommend getting the yakiimo! You might also find a lot of use for the crampons as the path going to the park might get slippery especially once the weather gets warm enough for the snow and ice to thaw.
Coming here in the morning was definitely a great idea as I got to enjoy sights like this. That said, I’d be lying if I said that the hike going to the park’s entrance was easy. As you can see, the path here was definitely a little slippery. Thankfully, this wasn’t a race and you could just take it easy with your hike.
Here’s another reason why I’d recommend a morning visit. Even with the rather arduous walk, I still found myself energized thanks to sights like this. In my first article about this place I remember mentioning how it looked like a winter wonderland and I couldn’t agree more with my past self’s comments.
This was a stream that I also came across while nearing the park’s entrance. There was so little water here likely because it might have gotten frozen in the mountains due to the weather. I have seen pictures of this stream in the winter online though and those feature water flowing freely here.
Here are just two of the many infographics that you’ll come across during your walk. The top infographic featuring a snow monkey bathing in an onsen shows how far along you are on the trail and how many more meters you have left before the park’s entrance. Below it is an infographic talking about the Japanese serow. This is a mountain goat that also calls these mountains home and another animal that you might come across here.
I’m now close to the park’s entrance and just over this river is the Korakukan. It’s an establishment that has an onsen exclusively for humans where you can dip in without having to worry about disturbing or being disturbed by the snow monkeys in the area. Additionally, they also offer lunch and drinks for guests who might feel a pang of hunger and thirst from all the walking. While I was tempted to visit the place, my priority (like the people lining up in the background) was to see the snow monkeys so I decided to go straight to the park’s entrance.
Speaking of the park entrance, here’s what the stairs leading up to it looked like. As you can see, there were plenty of people when I got there as this place is really popular with both local and foreign visitors.
As I was waiting in line to go up, I saw this little dude looking over at the other side of the river. Maybe like me, he was enjoying the sight of the river and the houses on the other side. The little dude looked like he was deep in thought though so I didn’t bother to disturb him (or was it a her?). I’m kidding of course. Even if this snow monkey wasn’t contemplating the state of the universe I still wouldn’t disturb them (as should you) because they’re still wild animals.
Thankfully there were plenty of things and sights that got me preoccupied. I left the snow monkey ruminating on his thoughts and took pictures of this area instead. Initially I was confused as to what this was until I used Google Lens on the inscription. Apparently, this was a natural monument to commemorate a landslide that happened in the area sometime in the 1930s.
After going through the entrance of the park, I had to walk a couple meters more before I eventually found the dedicated onsen for the snow monkeys. As you can see, there was a sizable crowd even before I got to the onsen area.
Just as I passed through the bridge going to the onsen area, I came across this little guy. He was lounging on the bridge and looked like he was already quite used to the people milling about. In fairness to the visitors, I didn’t see one giving the animals here any food or any unwelcome touches.
I finally got close enough to the onsen to take a picture of the snow monkeys bathing there. The monkeys seemed to genuinely enjoy bathing here and this is despite the milling of the people in the platform above the onsen.
I read somewhere that this behaviour by the macaques or snow monkeys was observed only when the people of Yamanouchi started putting up onsen in the area. The macaques were apparently drawn to the warm onsen waters because it helped regulate their body temperatures especially during the winter season.
Instead of driving away the monkeys, the people of Yamanouchi then just decided to give them their separate onsen area. Now the macaques here seem to be thriving and I’m pretty sure their winters are much more warm thanks to the efforts of the people here.
In return for helping them out, the macaques have also sort of given back to the people of Yamanouchi. From what I understand, the park has been a boon for the town with the tourists and travelers it draws thanks to the presence of the macaques.
While I still wanted to observe the snow monkeys, I eventually had to go back due to the crowd still not letting up. The people aside though, this still ended up being such a cool experience. Not only were the macaques’ behavior interesting, the whole journey to this place was also quite scenic and unforgettable. I actually kind of want to visit here in the spring or summer just to see how the place (and maybe the monkeys’ behaviors) changes with the seasons.
After a couple more pictures around the area, I then decided it was time to head back to the building that served as the entrance to this area. Interestingly enough, it seemed like there weren’t that many people with me as I was walking back.
You’ll find plenty of souvenirs at the entrance/administrative building. Aside from these wooden coasters and macaque plushies, I also saw clear folders, tin magnets, and even mugs being sold here. If you’re into goshuin stamp collecting, there’s also a stamping area here. Heck, they’re even selling shirts and hand bags here though the designs really weren’t to my liking.
Going down from the entrance/admin building, I once again was greeted with a nice view of the Jigokudani Onsen Kourakukan buildings. Thinking about it now, I think I might just plan a trip in the future where I stay here for maybe a day or two. Let me tell you, at this point I was really raring to get some rest and maybe even dip in an onsen after all the walking that I had done.
With this, my Snow Monkey Park adventure ended and I had to wait at the bust stop for my ride back to Nagano. For just JPY4000, I got to experience a day with cute snow monkeys, witnessed awesome views, and walked through a winter wonderland. Definitely one of the most ‘worth it’ expenses that I incurred during my Japan trip.
While Nagano has a number of temples and shrines that one can visit, I would argue that none are as accessible as Zenkoji Temple. I went here just before my trip to Yokohama and the visit was such a great way to end my stay in the city. One of the first things I saw when I got here was the Niomon Gate. It looked absolutely massive from a distance and extremely detailed up close.
Arguably the most prominent feature of the gate is the realistically sculpted Nio Guardian statues on its columns. The guardian on the left is called Agyo while the one on the right is Ungyo. Behind them (not pictured) are statues of Sampo Kojin and Sanmen Daikokuten.
After passing through the Niomon Gate, you’ll then come across Nakamise Street. I was here pretty early so there weren’t that many people out and about yet. That said, this can get relatively busy particularly during major celebrations like the New Year.
This area has plenty of shops that sell food similar to the one pictured above. If I remember correctly, these are Sumikko Gurashi baby castella cakes and they actually look super cute. I was fortunately still full from eating breakfast at Hotel Metropolitan Nagano so I was able to hold off getting an order of these.
Not getting food was also a good idea because from this point on, I wasn’t allowed to eat and/or bring any. The temple complex is kinda strict when it comes rules as these are mostly in place to protect the hundreds of years old buildings and other structures here.
These statues are the Roku Jizo and each of them represents a specific realm of existence in Buddhist Cosmology. The structure in front of these statues is called a saisenbako and it’s where worshipers drop their offerings/donations.
A couple of steps from the Roku Jizo is this statue of the Nureboke or Wet Jizo. If I remember correctly, the statue was commissioned as a means to protect the Main Hall from fires. As for the red bibs, this and the Roku Jizo statues have, these are apparently for protecting the statues and worshipers from evil as well as to ward off bad health.
If you thought the Niomon Gate was large then the Sanmon or Main Gate of Zenkoji Temple will definitely surprise you. Pictured above, the gate is absolutely massive and you should be able to get access to it if you paid the JPY600 admission fee. I was kind of in a hurry so I held off purchasing one for myself (also it’s not mandatory).
To the left of the Sanmon Gate is this souvenir shop that sells Daruma dolls. Not many people outside of Japan probably know this but these dolls also function as lucky charms with their colors indicating what type of blessing or luck the buyer receives. The Tendai sect manages the shop and from what I gather, the money raised from here are for the temple’s upkeep.
Directly opposite the shop with Daruma dolls is this chozuya or water ablution pavilion. Before a worshiper proceeds to the Sanmon Gate and the Main Hall, they’ll need to make sure that they’re symbolically purified. To do so, they’ll need to rinse their mouths and wash their hands with the water here.
Much like with a lot of temples and shrines here, Zenkoji Temple also has an area that has emakake. This is a rack specifically made for hanging ema or these small wooden plaques where worshipers can write their prayers. The idea is that by hanging their prayers in this manner, worshipers will have a much higher chance of these being granted.
Here’s another emakake with some really cute ema already hanging from it. I came here just after the New Year so the rack was replete with all these ema from worshipers who likely were wishing for better luck for the rest of the year.
Aside from ema, the temple also has omikuji that worshippers can draw to get an idea of their luck. If the omikuji gives them great luck then worshippers can keep them. In the instance that they got unfavorable luck though, worshippers will then need to hang the omikuji in these omikuji kake.
I’ve finally reached the Main Hall of Zenkoji Temple. Just in front of it is a daikoro or large incense burner. It’s believed that by offering incense and then standing in front of this, a worshipper can protect themselves from sickness/ailments as well as ensuring their good health.
Here’s where you can get the incense sticks to place on the daikoro. There’s actually an instruction here in Japanese for what you’ll need to do. If you’re not sure (or are unable to read the characters) then just make use of Google Lens to translate the instructions.
That or you could just check out this other infographic with visual instructions for what you’ll need to do. Other than the infographic, this saisenbako also shows the minimum amount that it suggests to offer (JPY100).
After offering up your prayers on the daikoro you might then want to check out the area around the Main Hall (that is if you didn’t pay for access to the temple). Here you’ll find sign posts such as this with information regarding the Main Hall and the Ikko Sanzon Amida Nyorai that’s enshrined and venerated inside of it. If you’re facing the Main Hall, you’ll find this sign just to your right (provided you’re standing in the daikoro area).
As you go around the Main Hall, you’ll see just how old and weathered it is. Built in 1707, the building has been around for upwards of 300 years. The temple complex itself is much older as it’s been dated to 642 AD.
I was initially confused as to what these stone lanterns were doing here. Apparently, these serve as memorials/monuments for the deceased. One memorial that stood out here was the Takao Lantern which had been here since the Edo period. It was dedicated to a woman named Takao who happened to be famous courtesan of Yoshiwara from that time period.
Another notable landmark around the Main Hall is this belfry or shoro. It features a bell that was selected as one of the most beautiful sounds in Japan. The bell was rang during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics back in 1998. While the bell might be off limits, you can still hear it being rung every hour from 10AM to 4PM on a daily basis.
I’m well aware that there’s still plenty of other activities in Nagano that I wasn’t able to talk about. Hopefully, I get to visit Nagano again so I can write more about these other activities and places that I might have missed. What about you? Do you have any activities or places to visit in Nagano that you’ve already visited? Sound off on the comment section and share what you know`
