Jigokudani or "Hell's Valley" is located in the Joshinetsu Plateau National Park in northeastern Nagano Prefecture. It is home to approximately 250 Japanese Macaque monkeys. Here, you can witness wild monkeys in their natural habitat and observe them relaxing in an onsen. The Monkey Park first opened in 1964, and since then, researchers, photographers and tourists have been going to the park.

The breeding season is from October to June, and occurs once a year. March is a good time to visit because by then the baby monkeys will be almost a year old and very active. In winter, the monkeys do not stray far from the onsen, so this is a good time to visit. However, once the weather warms up, there are fewer monkeys concentrated in the onsen area, and it is more difficult to observe them.

1. Getting There

• By Train:
  From Nagano take the Nagano Dentetsu train to Yudanaka.
  From Yudanaka take a bus or taxi to Kanbayashi Onsen.
  From here, it's about a 30 minute walk to the Monkey Park entrance.

• By Car:
  Get off the
  Joshinetsu Highway
  at Shinshu Nakano IC.
  Follow Route 292.
  Follow signs that lead to Shiga Heights.
  Drive the road to Kanbayashi Onsen and park the car in the parking lot.
  From here, it's about a 30-minute walk to the Monkey Park entrance.
  
  Alternative Route-
  
  Take route 117 towards Nagano and Nakano.
  Stay on 117.
  Turn left on 292 (to Nagano and Nakano). 292 is about an hour and half from Tokamachi.
  Turn left off of 292 towards Kanbayashi Onsen (there will be white signs).
  Park the car in the parking lot on the left.
  From here, it's about a 30-minute walk to the Monkey Park entrance.
  Follow the monkey signs.

2. Hours

• Summer (April to October)
  8.30am to 5.00pm

• Winter (November to March)
  9.00am to 4.00pm

3. Admission

• Adult = 500 yen

• Child = 250 yen

4. Photography

• Cameras are allowed

5. Precautions

• Make sure you put any food or drink in the lockers provided.

• Feeding the monkeys is prohibited.

• Do not touch the monkeys.

• Do not make eye contact with the monkeys.

6. Contact Details

• Address:

• Phone: 0269-33-4379

• Fax: 0269-33-8521

• Email: webmaster@jigokudani-yaenkoen.co.jp

• Website: http://www.jigokudani-yaenkoen.co.jp/english/top/english.html