Red faced snow monkey in a hot spring
Japan,  The Archives,  The places we've been

Hanging out with the Snow Monkeys

April 27, 2023 /

Since we have a little down time between our adventures to London and Big Sur, we thought we’d go back and share a little more about our time in Japan. This week, let’s talk about our stay at a traditional hot spring hotel and hanging out with the snow monkeys in Yudanaka.

Faster than a Speeding Bullet?

Turns out that a bullet train is NOT faster than a speeding bullet. (Actually I just looked it up and they only go about a tenth of the speed.) BUT taking the bullet train from Tokyo to Nagano was rather posh and the views of Fuji-san couldn’t be beat.

Two blue upholstered chairs on a train
The comfy chairs
Woman working at a pull down tray on a train
Plenty of space for travel writing
Large, hi-tech bathroom on a train
Space age bathroom
Mount Fuji from the window of a train behind some city buildings
Mt Fuji

The Onsen Ryokan (Hot Spring Inn)

After a quick walk from the Yudanaka station, our hotel – the Aburaya Tousen, came in view.

Hotel sitting on a snowy river with cloudy skies and mountains behind it

Easily the most hospitable hotel we’ve EVER stayed at, the staff greeted us before we checked in with apple wine and sweets to ease the wait. And they gave us tea and chocolates while we went over our meal options and dinner kimonos.

Plates holding a towel and a sweet next to a glass of apple wine
Making the wait a little sweeter
Woman in a kimono seated at table with a folder
Quite the reception!

The Room!

Though we called our hotel room in Tokyo “The Crevice”, this room was easily a penthouse suite!

Two beds in front of a kidney shaped opening with lights
Our bedroom
Bathroom with tatami mats and two sinks
Jack ‘n Jill Sinks in the bath
Low table with floor mats sitting on tatami mats. In the background is a large window with a beautiful view
The Living Room
Wooden balcony with a hot tub
Easily the star of the show! Our hot spring tub.

The Meals

At check in, we were asked if we’d like to dine in our room. Since we’re both pretty social, we said we’d rather come down to the dining room, expecting to enjoy the experience with other travelers. What we didn’t know is that we would have a private dining room, with our own chef! We got this same AMAZING experience for breakfast and dinner every day. Here a just a few of the incredible dishes we got to enjoy.

Round place mat with chop sticks and a round plate with sushi on it
Pot with hot oil surrounded by skewers with various meats on them
Decorate blue and white plate holding raw beef strips and sushi next to two small rectangular dishes of sauce. Chop sticks are in front of both
Woman kneeling in a door way in a kimono, waving.
The owner!
Wooden tray with chop sticks, a brown round plate and a wooden box with multiple little plates
Omelet in a round dish, covered in a light green liquid
Big leaf on a red plate with food in it
Multiple little plates surrounding and on wooden place mat. There are chop sticks and little glasses and bowls as well.
Chef at a station making an omelet

The Snow Monkeys

Rectangular sign that reads "Snow Money Park" in front of pine trees

We got up early and took the hotel shuttle to the Snow Monkey park. While I joked that the hot spring was the star of the show…it couldn’t hold a candle to watching a red faced macaque enjoy one. Here are just a few of the wonderful creatures at the park. Stephen said it was like going to the zoo but being able to hang out inside the habitats.

Red faced monkey in a hot spring
Macaque sitting by the side of a hot tub
Red faced monkey digging in the snow
Monkey enjoying a soak in a hot spring
Little red faced monkey looking up
Snow monkey picking up food from the ground
Baby snow monkey standing on a step
Red faced snow monkey standing on a step
Red faced snow monkey walking on the rocks
Momma and baby snow monkey sitting together
Red faced snow monkey, sitting in the snow, looking at the camera
Snow monkey standing on the side of a natural hot spring

Lounges, and Breweries and Bars

Although it was hard to really eat more than breakfast and dinner since the meals were so over-the-top, we felt we had to make time to visit these great places, because…when else would we get to?

The Yudanaka Brewery

Woman standing in front of a sign that reads "Yudanaka Brewery Complex"
Silver brewing vats behind windows
A white bar on a wood floor with beer taps
An orange colored craft beer in a tulip glass

The Secret Lounge

We had to enter a secret code to get access and just LOVED sipping champagne by the fire…in our kimonos!

Lounge with upholstered furniture in front of an outdoor space
The legs of a man wearing a kimono and slippers on a lounge chair in front of a fireplace
Woman in a kimono, sitting on a sofa in an outdoor lounge
Round lounge chair on a deck. In the back ground are trees and mountains

The Rooftop Bar

It felt wrong to be in Japan and NOT try sake, so we made our way up to the roof to sit in an igloo and enjoy the view.

Man in a kimono, sitting at a table with a candle in front of him. He is holding a glass of sake up to his mouth. There is an igloo in the background.
Sign that reads "Rooftop Bar" in English and Japanese
Rooftop with multiple igloos for dining
Roof top bar with multiple igloos, landscaping lights and snow on the ground
Man and woman in kimonos standing in front of a painting of a wave

We had the best time relaxing at Onsen and hanging with the snow monkeys. It’s unusual for us to spend travel days kicking back, but it was GREAT. (In fact, we may build in a bit more relaxation time in the future.)

Two women and a man in kimonos, smiling for the camera
Us and Nao, our personal concierge
Man in a hot spring, on a balcony. You can see mountains in the background

We’re off to Big Sur California this week so be sure to follow us on Instagram at the__travel__oracle or subscribe to get the latest delivered right to your inbox.

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