Zenkoji Temple

An excellent day with great company! The snow monkeys were a treat. The temple tour was very comprehensive and the sake tasting plus lunch were very good. Highly recommended.

WeiWei was wonderful and very knowledgeable about the local towns, foods, culture and monkeys :) She was very patient as we stayed with the monkeys for over an hour taking photos and observing them. We had a great time with her, and highly suggest booking a private tour, so you can go at your own pace with the monkeys, saki tasting, and a bit more of a local's experience.

that was a really fun day for me. lunch was yummy. the temple visit is really interesting. The tour guides were extremely helpful and excited to take us around

I had an amazing time on this tour. The temple was especially beautiful, the monkeys were as full of monkey-ness as anyone could hope, and the guides added so much depth to the experience, while still giving plenty of space to explore on our own (a trickier balance to achieve than it might seem). Really thoughtfully arranged.

Our tour guide was fantastic! She able to gave us a deeper understanding of what we were experiencing! Although we were told No monkeys many times, 7 male monkeys came down to eat. We were a couple feet from them. Wow. Monkeys made the experience!

There was only five of us in the group so it felt more casual and relaxed than it would have in a bigger group. Our guide, Pete, was an excellent guide. He was knowledgeable and knew interesting facts about the temple, the customs, and the history. He was also very approachable and flexible during the tour. We didn't feel rushed and it was very enjoyable. The temple was very interesting and the fall colors were beautiful. There were many things to do and see at the temple so don't worry about being bored. The sake tasting was great and one of the employees explained things about the sake and miso in english. The lunch portion of the tour wasn't that remarkable but the food was good and the service was nice. The restaurant was also beautiful and clean. You only get two options: vegetarian or chicken. Dessert is included in the lunch as well. The snow monkey park was the best part of the tour (not by much). Walking to the park was easy and took about 20 minutes. The walk itself was nice and relaxing. The park was beautiful and picturesque. We lucked out that day and the park was full of snow monkeys. There were so many I wasn't sure where to look. You can get so close to the monkeys and they run around your feet unafraid. Don't be afraid to sign up even if it is raining. From my understanding the rain makes it more likely the monkeys will go down and get in the onsen. They didn't go in the onsen that day but that was hardly a detriment. The monkeys were so cute and interesting to watch. I definitely recommend this tour if you're visiting Nagano specially in the fall or winter time. You will get your money's worth.

We had an incredible time on this full day tour. Our guide was nice, informative, and really enjoyable to spend the day with. The temple visit was interesting and beautiful, and the time we were able to spend with the monkeys was a once in a lifetime experience. It was December which meant the monkeys were out in huge numbers, but not many were bathing. Would love to come back in deep winter to see them truly in snow. We even got to stop in to taste local fruit and buy some snacks for the road. Absolutely would recommend this tour.

Even though it was off season, this was a great tour. There was only 2 of us and we had the guide to ourselves for the day. He was a very nice Australian fella who has lived there for years and has a great knowledge and enthusiasm for the area. The temple tour, sake tasting and lunch we had at the start were very enjoyable but the highlight was definitely the monkeys who we were lucky enough to see for a great length of time even though it was off season. Our guide had a great knowledge of the monkeys and was able to identify individuals, their different personalities and how they affect the group's behaviour. The guide also had many suggestions for what we could do for the rest of our time in the area. All in as all this was a great tour with a great guide and we would highly recommend it!

Great tour guide, one of the best from our trip. She was helpful, informative, and willing to take photos. The monkeys were all over, so don't worry about not seeing any (even during the summer or off season). It was a great experience that definitely made our Japan trip more enjoyable. Highly recommended. Even the walk/train ride there was fun. We did go when it was warm outside. We might want to try again when it's colder to get some more iconic pictures of the snow. The monkeys did go for a swim despite the heat, plus we got to see a lot of baby monkeys around this time of year.

Zenko-Ji is a superb example of a Buddhist temple and the sake tasting was informative and fun. The highlight of the trip was the Snow Monkey Park. I was slightly concerned that there were warnings that the monkeys may not make an appearance in Autumn. Fear not! There was one sitting on the entrance building and the whole troup of around 150-160 monkeys were around the river and the hot spring. Lots of babies as well - brilliant! And our guide Mai was great - lots of good information and superb English!

Our tour guide Peter made sure this would be a tour to remember for the best of reasons. From beginning to end it was obvious that customer experience was the goal. Clear concise arrival/meeting/departure information. Made for a stress less arrival from Tokyo. Good decision to do temple in the cool of morning. We were a small group and it was obvious Peter had great local and cultural knowledge as we asked a lot of questions. Good amount of free time. Temple was beautiful, bonus got a good fortune. Sake tasting with local no pressure to buy, devine lunch at local restaurant. Then in to see the monkeys a leisurely stroll with a few steps through the forest was pleasant even in the light rain. Peter has made it clear that they are wild animals and they may not be there but they were much to our delight. We have no hesitation in recommending this tour Peta and Phil