Jigokudani Monkey Park Tickets: Prices, Web Tickets and Winter Entry
Snow Monkey Park admission rises on 1 December 2026: ¥1,000 at the gate, ¥880 as a dated web ticket (children ¥500 / ¥440). Web-ticket holders enter first from December to April. Where to buy, which tours include it, and the traps.
The ticket is the cheapest part of this excursion, but for winter 2026-27 it is no longer the simplest. Two changes landed this year: a dated web ticket in August, and a price rise on 1 December. Here is the whole picture, from the park’s own notices.
The prices, before and after 1 December 2026
| Ticket | Until 30 Nov 2026 | From 1 Dec 2026, at the gate | From 1 Dec 2026, web ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult (18+) | ¥800 | ¥1,000 | ¥880 |
| Child (elementary to high school) | ¥400 | ¥500 | ¥440 |
| Under 6 | Free | Free | Free |
| Group of 20+, adult | ¥680 | ¥840 | ¥740 |
Source: Jigokudani Yaen-koen notice dated 20 September 2026, checked October 2026. Disability-certificate discounts are sold at the window only, not online.
So from December the web ticket is the cheaper ticket as well as the safer one. Hours stay 8:30–17:00 from April to October and 9:00–16:00 from November to March, every day of the year, though the park can shorten hours or close for weather.
The web ticket and winter priority entry
Since early August 2026 the park sells date-specific web tickets up to three months ahead on its official site (en.jigokudani-yaenkoen.co.jp). From December to April, web-ticket holders get priority entry. The park’s own notice says that without one “you may experience a wait before entering”, and that depending on congestion, visitors without online tickets “may be denied entry”. Press reports in June 2026 mentioned a possible ceiling of about 2,000 visitors a day; the park itself has not published a number, so treat the busy-day calendar as the guide.
That calendar marks every weekend and public holiday from December 2026 to March 2027 as “extremely crowded”, with the New Year week and the February holidays included, and on those days the park’s car parks close to private cars. If your date is a Saturday in January, buy the web ticket the day it goes on sale.
The official site also sells a ticket bundled with the bus from Nagano Station, which suits DIY visitors who were going to take the bus anyway.
What this means by visitor type:
- Green season (April to October): relaxed. Buying at the counter is fine.
- Winter DIY: buy the dated web ticket as soon as your date is fixed. It is now the cheaper option too.
- Winter tour guests: read the listing. The top-rated group day trip lists “Snow Monkey Park entry fee” as included, so admission is the operator’s job. Several private tours list admission as paid on the day, so on a winter weekend ask them who buys the dated ticket.
Which tours include the ticket
Not all of them, and the listings say so plainly if you read the “not included” section. From our October 2026 check:
| Tour | Park admission |
|---|---|
| Nagano: Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji & Sake day trip | Included |
| Snow Monkeys & Shiga Kogen snow fun | Included |
| Snow Monkeys & Togakushi Shrine (private) | Paid on the day |
| Snow Monkeys & Best of Nagano (private) | Paid on the day |
| Luxury private from Tokyo | Not included |
| Private day trip from Tokyo | Not listed as included |
The pattern is simple. The group day trips bundle the ticket, and the private drivers sell you the car and the guide and leave the gate to you. For a first winter visit the bundled version removes the one new risk, which is why it is the day trip we put first.
Where not to buy
Nobody but the park sells bare admission online. A site offering a standalone “Jigokudani ticket” at a markup is reselling a walk to the same gate. For a bare ticket: the official site, or the counter outside the busy winter dates. For the whole day solved: the tours. For whether the trip is worth it in your month: the honest verdict. And before you go, the walk and what to wear.
Questions people ask
How much is the monkey park?
Jigokudani charges adults ¥800 and children ¥400 until 30 November 2026. From 1 December 2026 the gate price is ¥1,000 for adults and ¥500 for children aged 6 to 17, while the dated web ticket costs ¥880 and ¥440. Under-6s are free with a guardian. Groups of 20 or more pay less, and an annual pass rises from ¥5,000 to ¥6,000. Prices are from the park’s own notice of September 2026.
What is the entrance fee for Jigokudani Monkey Park?
From 1 December 2026: ¥1,000 per adult and ¥500 per child at the ticket counter, or ¥880 and ¥440 if you buy the date-specific web ticket on the official site beforehand. Before that date the old fee of ¥800 (children ¥400) applies. The park accepts credit cards and electronic money at the counter but not QR-code payments, and offers no senior discount.
How much time do you need at Jigokudani Monkey Park?
Plan on about an hour at the pool, plus 30 to 35 minutes of walking each way between the Snow Monkey Park bus stop and the gate, so roughly two and a half hours from bus to bus. Guided day trips allow two to two and a half hours for the park including the walk. Add time in winter, when the path is icy and the web-ticket queue system is in force.
Book the Day Trip
The top-rated Snow Monkey day trip — 4.9/5 from 978 reviews, from $138 (Oct 2026) with park admission, transport and Zenko-ji included. Free cancellation to 24 hours; winter dates sell out first.
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