15 Nagano Tours That Earn the Train Fare

1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano

1.1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,020 reviews · from $151Our pick

Spend about eight hours with an English-speaking guide at Zenko-ji Temple, a Nagano sake brewery, and Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. Guides such as Tom, Kieran, Nadine, and Endo have helped make the day informative and easy to follow. Lunch, transport, sake tasting, and park admission are included. Expect a forest walk and icy footing in winter.

“This excursion surpassed our expectations and added cultural experiences to our day. We were leaving Japan the next day so it really enhanced our trip.”

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Nagano: Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Day Trip

2.Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 833 reviews · 8 - 12 hours · from $135

Spend a full day exploring Nagano with guides such as Dylan, Brent, Tom, or Hiroshi, depending on your departure. Visit Zenkoji Temple, sample several sakes, enjoy a generous local lunch, then walk 1.6 km through a forest trail to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. Transport, entry, lunch, and sake tasting are included.

“I had a brilliant time exploring Zenkoji Temple and seeing the snow monkeys! Hishiro and Shin were brilliant!”

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From Tokyo: Snow Monkey 1 Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch

3.Snow Monkey 1 Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 295 reviews · 1 day · from $151

Travel from Shinjuku to Nagano for beef sukiyaki, a snowy forest walk, and Jigokudani Monkey Park. You may see Japanese macaques soaking in hot springs, though sightings in the water are not guaranteed. Winter departures from Jan 23 to Mar 1, 2026 also visit Kamakura snow huts. Expect a long coach ride and icy walking paths.

“We had a great experience on the snowiest and coldest day of the year! Seeing the snow monkeys enjoying the hot springs was definitely the highlight of the day. Our tour guide was very kind and humorous and had jokes, commentary and even a song sheet for us all ready in case there were any hiccups along the way. Hats off to our tour guide and driver for making the day amazing and go smoothly despite icy roads and traffic jams.”

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From Tokyo: Private Tour Snow Monkey Park & Zenko-ji Temple

4.Private Tour Snow Monkey Park & Zenko-ji Temple

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 184 reviews · 1 day

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano in a private Toyota Vellfire, Crown, or Land Cruiser with an English-speaking driver. See Jigokudani’s snow monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple, Matsushiro Castle Ruins, Shibu Onsen, and Obuse. Guides such as Waqas and Bilal are praised for patient service, local tips, snacks, and flexible stops.

“Bilal - our guide - picked us up early morning for a long drive to the snow monkeys. He is polite, respectful, helpful and went out of his way to ensure that we had every experience possible on our tour. We had a fantastic day, snow monkeys and the walk to them was a highlight. We can recommend Bilal highly.”

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Hokkaido Seasonal: Lake Toya & Noboribetsu Jigokudani Valley

5.Hokkaido Seasonal: Lake Toya & Noboribetsu Jigokudani Valley

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 173 reviews · 1 day · from $55

Travel from Sapporo to Lake Toya, Lake Hill Farm, Showa Shinzan, and Noboribetsu Jigokudani with a guide speaking English or Chinese. Add a snowmobile ride at your own cost when conditions allow, enjoy winter views and local snacks, and finish among steaming volcanic vents. Guides such as Mila, Sunny, and Mr. Hong are praised for clear advice and friendly help.

“our guide, Max, was knowledgeable about the places we visited and very nice. The trip is well organized and you have enough time during the various stops. would recommend!”

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Tokyo: Snow Monkey & Nagano Customiseable Private Day Tour

6.Snow Monkey & Nagano Customiseable Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 138 reviews · 1 day

Travel from Tokyo or nearby resorts in a private Toyota Vellfire or Crown with an English-speaking driver. See Jigokudani’s snow monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple, Obuse, Shibu Onsen, and Matsushiro, with time and lunch adjusted to suit your group.

“Alex has been accommodating as a driver and did a wonderful job at aligning with our schedule and plan - he showed us around local sights and gave us wonderful recommendations for lunch. Thank you for the experience !”

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Matsumoto Castle Tour & Samurai Experience

7.Matsumoto Castle Tour & Samurai Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 128 reviews · 3 hours · from $88

Meet your English-speaking guide at Matsumoto Station, walk to the 400-year-old castle, and explore its original tower before dressing in samurai clothing for a one-hour katana lesson. Guides such as Shin, Matt, Naomi, and Tim are praised for clear history and friendly pacing, while instructors Kei and Kae make the sword class lively and approachable.

“Great experience on n the tour. Kai-san is a Matsumoto native and he has tons of information to share about the area. castle tour was great and I had a lot of fun learning the basics of samurai sword techniques.”

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Nagano Snow Monkey 1 Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch from Tokyo

8.Nagano Snow Monkey 1 Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch from Tokyo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 123 reviews · from $151

Travel by comfortable coach from Shinjuku to Nagano’s Jigokudani Monkey Park, where Japanese macaques may bathe in hot springs. Enjoy beef sukiyaki at Shinshu Fruitsland, with pork, vegetarian, and vegan meals available. The park requires a snowy uphill walk of more than 30 minutes, so bring grippy footwear. Seasonal departures may include illuminated Kamakura snow huts.

“This was an amazing experience. To organise this kind of a trip on your own from Tokyo to the Snow Monkey Park would be time consuming and very hard. We met our tour guide and bus at a very central location in Shinjuku, right down the road from our hotel. The tour was on time all day. We had a very yummy traditional Japanese lunch of Sukiyaki. We got to spend an hour with the Snow Monkeys, which was ample time. Thoroughly enjoyed my day! Would recommend this tour to anyone wanting to visit the Snow Monkeys 🐒”

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1-Day Tour from Nagano and Matsumoto Kamikochi & Matsumoto Castle

9.1-Day Tour from Nagano and Matsumoto Kamikochi & Matsumoto Castle

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 105 reviews · from $201

Travel from Nagano to Matsumoto Castle and Kamikochi with an English-speaking guide. You’ll tour the castle, stroll Nawate-dori’s Frog Street, then walk among rivers, ponds, forests, and mountain peaks at 1,500 meters. Guides have included Shin, Endo, and Devan. Expect a full nine-hour day, shared transport, and some time on foot.

“The tour guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. He spoke perfect English. The sites were very interesting and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour.”

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1-Day Snow Monkeys & Snow Fun in Shiga Kogen Tour

10.1-Day Snow Monkeys & Snow Fun in Shiga Kogen Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 94 reviews · from $184

Spend about nine hours in Nagano with an English-speaking guide, playing in the snow at Shiga Kogen and watching Japanese macaques at Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. The day includes snow scooters, snow bikes, sleds, lunch, park admission, and transport from selected meeting points. Guides may include Jens, Endo, Dylan, Joyce, or others.

“Endo san was very lovely. Not only that he taught us how to use various sledging equipment, he often volunteered to take photos for us. He provided interesting fun facts about the area and looked after everyone well on the tour. Arigatougozaimashita Sensei. 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️”

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Nagano Tokyo: Snow Monkey Private Day Tour Hotel Pick & Drop

11.Nagano Tokyo: Snow Monkey Private Day Tour Hotel Pick & Drop

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 84 reviews · 10 hours

Travel by private Toyota Prado with an English-speaking driver such as Alex, Baba, Kashi, or Jazib, depending on availability. Visit Jigokudani Monkey Park, Zenko-ji Temple, Shibu Onsen, Obuse, and Matsushiro Castle Ruins. The 10-hour tour includes hotel pickup, Wi-Fi, refreshments, tolls, and fuel, with time to adjust the route to your group.

“our guide was Kashi. He reached out before our tour to confirm pick up details. on the morning of pickup he also checked in to make sure nothing had changed. he picked us up on time in a clean car. he asked us where we wanted to go first and we planned the day together. he was very considerate and kind. During the drive to the snow monkeys we talked about the city of Nagano and Japan in general. He also kindly took pictures of our family for us. The snow monkeys were a highlight and highly recommend. Kashi was a great guide and would happily use him again.”

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Wild Japanese Flying Squirrel Watching Tour in Nagano

12.Wild Japanese Flying Squirrel Watching Tour in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 79 reviews · from $28Best value

Meet at the Karuizawa Wild Bird Sanctuary at 4 pm for a short Picchio talk on Japanese giant flying squirrels, then walk into the Hoshino Area with a guide and binoculars. The squirrels glide in the wild, so sightings depend on weather and animal activity. English-subtitled slides help when your guide speaks limited English.

“We met at the Karuizawa Wild Life Sanctuary where our tour guide (I cannot place his name at the moment but was absolutely lovely) walked us through the ecology of the Musasabi (Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel) before taking the grouRead more”

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Full-Day Tour: Matsumoto Castle & Kamikochi Alpine Valley

13.Full-Day Tour: Matsumoto Castle & Kamikochi Alpine Valley

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 78 reviews · 12 hours · from $180

Spend 12 hours linking two very different sights: Matsumoto’s original wooden castle and Kamikochi’s alpine valley at 1,500 meters. English-speaking guides such as Joyce, Shin, Jens, and Devin lead the day, with time for Frog Street, castle stairways, riverside walks, cafés, and mountain views. Transport, castle admission, and guided walks are included.

“We had a great tour even though it did not go as expected due to weather conditions. Joyce was a lovely guide and provided lots of interesting information and came up with nice alternative activities as we were not able to go to Kamikochi.”

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Private Nagano 1-Day Tour:Snow Monkeys,Zenko-ji,Obuse,Sake,Onsen

14.Private Nagano 1-Day Tour:Snow Monkeys,Zenko-ji,Obuse,Sake,Onsen

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · from $337

Spend about eight hours with a private English-speaking guide visiting Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Zenko-ji Temple, Obuse, and the Hokusai Museum. Guides such as Hori, Mutsumi, and Emi have helped shape flexible days around food, sake, family needs, and walking pace. Choose an onsen stop when available, with admissions and lunch extra.

“Being a nature lover, the snow monkeys of Nagano were among the last unique experience left in my bucket list. Although September is clearly not the ideal time for it, my brothers and I enjoyed the walk in the forest before reaching the park and there were enough monkeys frolicking in the pond to make it a worthwhile experience. After that we were treated to an excellent tonkatsu, chestnut ice-cream and sake degustation which made for a very nice day. Our guide Hitomi was very accommodating, and gave us good advice on how to optimize our tour content. She was also very friendly and used a translating software a lot…”

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Matsumoto Castle Tour & Samurai Experience

15.Matsumoto Castle Tour & Samurai Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 69 reviews · from $88

Meet at Matsumoto Station for a guided visit to black-and-white Matsumoto Castle, followed by a hands-on samurai lesson at Nakamachi Kurassic-kan. Guides such as Tim, Naomi, and Kei add local history and practical context. You will wear a samurai outfit, choose a practice sword, and learn safe kata and basic movements.

“It was very cool to learn how to use a sword and do some movements in a samurai outfit. The instructor was a very nice guy and we did some role playing with The swords! I would recommend this to everyone. The Matsumoto/Crow castle was really stunning and our tour guide knew everything about The history of the castle as he works there at the museum.”

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