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A Japanese macaque with snow-flecked fur sits in a steaming hot spring at Jigokudani, Nagano

Sample journey · 7–9 days

Snowbound Honshu: monkeys in the hot springs, village bathhouses and a black castle

Nagano, Jigokudani, Shibu Onsen, Nozawa Onsen & Matsumoto

Photo: Rogério Toledo / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

In winter the mountains of Nagano lie under deep snow, and steam rises from hot springs in the valleys. Here, barely an hour and a half by bullet train from Tokyo, another Japan begins: wooden ryokan with dinner at a low table, villages where locals head to the shared bathhouse in the evening with a towel over one shoulder, and wild monkeys that have learned to warm up in hot water. Unlike our journey through winter Hokkaido, this one isn't about drift ice and cranes, but about onsen villages, temples and snow days in the mountains.

The route is simple and compact: Nagano with Zenkō-ji temple, Shibu Onsen and the snow-monkey valley, the village of Nozawa with its ski mountain, and Matsumoto Castle before the return to Tokyo. Transfers are short, from one to three hours, so the journey suits families with children as well as couples after a quiet winter. Skiing is optional: in Nozawa it's just as enjoyable to go snowshoeing, soak in the village baths or simply watch the snow fall.

The route

The journey

  1. Tokyo
  2. Nagano & Zenkō-ji
  3. Jigokudani
  4. Shibu Onsen
  5. Nozawa Onsen
  6. Matsumoto
  7. Tokyo
  1. The vast dark roof of Zenkō-ji's main hall among trees, with mountains behind, in Nagano in winter

    01Days 1–2 · Nagano & Zenkō-ji

    A dawn service in the dark

    From Tokyo, about an hour and a half by bullet train to Nagano, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics. One night near Zenkō-ji, one of Japan's oldest and most important temples, which has long welcomed pilgrims of every Buddhist school. You can stay in a shukubō, temple lodgings where dinner is vegetarian and rooms are simple but warm. At dawn, still in darkness, the morning service in the main hall: monks' chanting, the scent of incense and cold air that turns your breath to steam. Then the pitch-black passage beneath the altar, where you feel along the wall for the key to paradise; most visitors find it and come out smiling. In the afternoon, the old approach street with its sake breweries and soba noodle houses, and in the evening your first onsen bath.

  2. A snow-covered town among white mountains in the Yamanouchi valley, Nagano

    02Days 2–4 · Jigokudani & Shibu Onsen

    Monkeys, steam and nine bathhouses

    About an hour by local train or bus to the Yamanouchi valley and two nights in Shibu Onsen, a narrow old street of wooden ryokan. Guests are given a key to nine small public bathhouses, and in the evening everyone wanders from one to the next in yukata and wooden clogs, their clatter echoing between the houses. Next morning, as early as you can, Jigokudani: a forest path of thirty or forty minutes to the valley where wild Japanese macaques warm themselves in a hot spring. They are entirely wild, so no touching or feeding, and how many are in the water depends on the day and the cold; there are usually most in the coldest weeks. The path is icy in winter, so good boots are needed and sometimes slip-on crampons. For children this is usually the moment of the trip they talk about for a long time.

  3. A person walking along a snow-covered pavement in falling snow in Nozawa Onsen

    03Days 4–7 · Nozawa Onsen

    A village that looks after its baths

    About an hour and a half by train and bus via Iiyama to Nozawa and three nights in a village whose streets climb up to the ski mountain. Nozawa is more than a resort: it's an old onsen village whose residents themselves look after thirteen free public bathhouses, and visitors are welcome in them as long as they follow the customs. In a hot spring at the heart of the village, locals boil vegetables and eggs. The days are yours to shape: skiing or snowboarding with an instructor, lessons for children, a guided snowshoe walk through the beech forest, or simply a slow walk through the snow from one bath to the next. If you travel in mid-January, it's worth timing your dates with the Dōsojin fire festival, when the village men defend a wooden shrine against flaming torches. In the evenings, sake tasting, soba and nozawana, the local pickled greens.

  4. The black-and-white keep of Matsumoto Castle above snowy ground under a blue January sky

    04Days 7–8 · Matsumoto

    The black castle in white snow

    By bus and trains via Nagano, about two and a half hours to Matsumoto and a final night. Matsumoto Castle is one of the few in Japan to keep its original wooden keep, and its black walls have earned it the name Crow Castle. In winter, especially after fresh snow, it's at its finest: black against white, with the peaks of the Japanese Alps behind. Inside are steep wooden stairs and gun ports; shoes come off, so warm socks are welcome. In the afternoon, Nakamachi street with its white storehouses patterned in dark and white lattice, craft shops and cafés, and in the evening local soba and sake. Next morning, about two and a half to three hours by express to Tokyo and the flight home, or a few more days in the city.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The snow monkeys

    Wild macaques in a steaming spring in the Jigokudani valley, best early in the morning.

  2. 02

    Zenkō-ji at dawn

    The morning service and the dark passage beneath the altar, after a night in temple lodgings.

  3. 03

    Village bathhouses

    Shibu Onsen's nine baths and Nozawa's thirteen, with yukata, clogs and snow.

  4. 04

    Matsumoto Castle

    The original black keep, standing in winter before the snowy peaks of the Alps.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • With children

    In Nozawa, ski lessons for children and more snow days; in Shibu Onsen, a ryokan with a family room and a private bath.

  • More snow

    Skiers can stay five nights in Nozawa or add Hakuba, with more ski areas and higher mountains.

  • For couples

    A special stay: a ryokan with a private outdoor bath in the room, dinner from Nagano's seasonal produce and more time in Matsumoto.

  • With Kanazawa or Takayama

    From Matsumoto the journey can continue over the mountains to Takayama or Kanazawa, returning to Tokyo by bullet train.

Practical considerations

  • Deep snow usually lasts from about late December to early March; January and February are typically the coldest and snowiest, though snowfall varies year to year. We check the ski season's opening and closing for that winter.
  • The path to Jigokudani is snowy and icy in winter, and the number of monkeys in the spring varies from day to day. We check the park's opening hours and the path conditions before you travel.
  • In heavy snowstorms, mountain trains and buses are sometimes delayed or cancelled. We plan with a buffer and forward main luggage between hotels.
  • Onsen bathing is nude and separated by gender; tattoos can be an issue in some places, so we advise in advance where it doesn't matter.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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