How To See Japan's Snow Monkey Park - Jigokudani Park

Snow Monkey & baby at Jigokudani Park - Eric Bravo Photography

Jigokudani Park, or better known as Japan's Snow Monkey Park, is a must go for anyone traveling to Japan. Although, a day trip to Nagano from Tokyo is possible, an overnight trip would be more enjoyable. Seeing the Snow Monkeys is a once in a lifetime experience and you don't want to be rushing back to catch the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. In this blog post, I'm going to be sharing information on how to get to Jigokudani Park in Nagano from Tokyo, the 40min trek to the actually Snow Monkey Park, and where to stay in Nagano.

How to see Japan's Emperor's New Year Greeting

If you're around Tokyo during the New Year, be sure check out the Emperor's New Year Greeting. This is a yearly event where the Imperial Family makes several appearances throughout the day (see below for times).

Be sure to get there a little before the scheduled appearance, as you'll have to go through security checks and lines can be long.

Make sure to take tons of photos of the Palace up close, as this is 1 of only 2 occasions where the inner grounds of Tokyo's Imperial Palace is open to the public. The other being on December 23rd for the Emperor's birthday.

How to Get Studio Ghibli Museum Tickets & How to Get to Mitaka, Japan

The Studio Ghibli Museum is a must go for any Hayao Miyazaki fan. You can enjoy a special showing of an early Ghibli short film, see how a Ghibli film is made, and take a picture with a life-size version of the robot solider from Castle in the Sky. But don't expect to make a spontaneous trip there. The number of visitors is limited per day, so you must do some serious planning! In this post, I’m going to explain how to get tickets, what JR Rail to take, and what to expect upon arrival.