Getting to Yamanouchi
We came to Yamanouchi in search of snow monkeys after our amazing stay at the buddhist temple Ekoin on Mount Koyasan. (Seriously! You should read about it because this was our most memorable experience in Japan!) Reserve a seat on a shinkansen to Nagano station at the nearest JR office, which are only located at the main stations. If you’re coming from the Tokyo area, make a stop at Matsumoto Castle if you have time. We wish we had planned our trip a little better so we could have seen it.
From Nagano station head to Yudanaka station in Yamanouchi. This will cost about 1260 yen per person. We arrived a little after 8 pm because we spent a little longer in Koyasan and took a cab to Koishiya. The owner of Koishiya Ryokan, Daisuke, will pick up guests from the train station, but we arrived later in the evening while he was shuttling guests to onsens. The only reason he couldn’t is because he was shuttling guests (again free of charge) to different onsens around town.
Koishiya Ryoken
Koishiya Ryoken is not your typical Ryoken as it doesn’t have an onsen of its own but the rooms are traditional style rooms. It has more of a hostel feel in that you can rent large rooms for multiple people or private rooms for one or two people.
In each room they provide you with towels for showering and for taking with you to the onsens around town. You are also each provided with a yukata to wear while going from onsen to onsen or just for lounging at the ryoken.
The room was the perfect size and had a nice little enclosed balcony with two large windows. Guests should make sure to abide by the signs to keep their windows closed because the monkeys are known to come into town searching for food. We were lucky enough see a few from our balcony (about 7 monkeys) walking from roof top to roof top. Daisuke says that although they do get in the windows occasionally, people rarely see them in town.
The bathrooms are down the hall, women on one floor, men on another, and a unisex on the main floor. Showers are also on the main floor. We stayed two nights and it was the perfect amount of time to see the snow monkeys and explore the small town.
Koishiya is also a favorite of skiers that come in to hit surrounding slopes with multiple resorts within driving range. Breakfast and dinner are available here but for lunch you’ll need to venture around town. We had breakfast here once and dinner both nights. Koishiya’s menu is a little limited but everything we had was delicious. They do have a decent selection of local craft beers and a few wines.
Jigokudani Monkey Park
Yamanouchi is the closest town to the Jigokudani Monkey Park and is the best place to stay to visit. Jigokudani, which means “valley of hell,” gets its name because of the hot springs that dot the landscape. This is also what draws the monkeys to the area in the winter. The park uses the hot springs and food to keep the monkeys in the park. There are no fences. Remember that these are wild animals and treat them with respect.
Daisuke will also transport you to the monkey park free of charge. From Koishiya to the path that leads to the park is about 1 km, however, once there you have another 0.8 km along a snow covered path so watch your step! We only fell once but we saw plenty of others fall. Entrance was 800 yen for adults and 400 yen for children.
We recommend walking the trail to park before 9 so that you can arrive when it opens. We started walking a few minutes after 9 and there were already a good number of people there. The pool where the monkeys are in the hot spring is not actually that large. We would definitely recommend having a camera with zoom but your phone will do a nice job. The monkeys are all around so just be patient and you will get plenty of good pictures.
The are lots of young ones playing around and trying to stay warm by huddling in groups. Sometimes you’ll catch them riding on their mothers’ backs as well.
Seeing the snow monkeys in the in the hot springs with snow all around was such an amazing experience. The only thing that could have made it better is if it was snowing.
Daisuke told us that spring is also a really good time to visit the park because that is when the babies are born and not as many people come to the park during the spring.
Enza Cafe
It’s easy enough to walk back to Koishiya. There’s a few places to stop on the way. First stop, eat lunch at Enza Cafe. Their spicy ramen was delicious and a must try! If you find yourself in need of a break from the ramen they had plenty of other options available. You’ll need a little food in your stomach before you head to try some free sake!
Sake Storehouse Art Museum – Gallery Tamamura Honten
Yes! That’s right! We said FREE SAKE! After you’re done with lunch head over to the sake museum and try some free sake samples. Its a quaint little building with some old paintings and viewing room of the large sake brewing area. Another couple that was staying at the same ryoken joined us because who doesn’t want free sake??
After we walked around the “museum” we asked a lady in the front room for samples. She pointed to the bar where there are small cups set up and a line of sake bottles. 17 different ones to be exact. Self serve never looked so good! Maybe we tried them all…maybe some more than once…whose to say. We were surprised by how much we enjoyed all of them, but if sake isn’t your jam they also offer draft beer for purchase.
World Peace Kannon
The World Peace Kannon “Goddess of Mercy and World Peace” was something we kind of stumbled upon once we got into town. Many restaurants in town are not open between lunch and dinner so we chose to walk around and check out the local temples.
The original statue of bronze that watched over the city known as “Hyaku Shaku Kannon” was taken down for use during WWII. The statue visitors see today was able to be erected because of the effort of some 50,000 people. The statue watches over all visitors and protect them and is a symbol of mercy and good fortune. People come to worship for success in examinations, a happy home, or a truelove marriage.
The statue is also a part of the good fortune route. There is a statue uphill that provides protection from earthquakes. One down hill known is the deity for prolonging life. It grants support for smokers while they are smoking or provides help for those trying to quit.
If you can visit all three and then ring the bell of wish fulfillment and world peace afterwards, it is said that your wishes will come true and happiness will reside. We were unable to see all three due to the snow. We did however make sure that we rang the bell for world peace. A- because its for world peace and B- its one of the only bells we saw while in Japan that we were allowed to ring. Yes, it was awesome.
Onsen time
Koihiya offers to take you to different onsens in the town. Most onsens have an area for men and one for women. If you’re there with your significant other, its best to book a private onsen. We paid 500*** yen for 50 minutes at Shibu Onsen which was plenty of time.
This ain’t your momma’s hot tub, the Japanese love their onsens hot! Best advice we can give is to use the buckets to pour water on your body to help acclimate yourself to the heat. Also its a good idea not to keep a lot of your body underwater for an extended period of time. It was cold when we were there so having half our bodies out of the water and occasionally pouring water on ourselves helped our bodies regulate our body heat. If you feel like you’re getting too hot, get out!
Booking a private onsen was something that was on our Japan bucket list and it did not disappoint. Being outside looking up at the stars in an onsen, in Japan, is something everyone should experience.
Leaving Yamanouchi
We had to leave early in the morning to head to Hokkaido for the start of the Sapporo Snow Festival. The staff will arrange for a taxi to be at Koishiya at the time you specify. The taxi was there at least five minutes early. We split the ride back to the station with another couple who was leaving early to save a little money which is always a bonus!
We were extremely happy with our stay at Koishiya and Yamanouchi. If you have any comments or questions leave them below!
