6 Temple & Shrine Tours in Nagano Worth Booking

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 visiting Zenko-ji Temple, tasting Nagano sake, eating a regional lunch, and walking to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. Guides such as Tom, Endo, Kieran, Nadine, and Jens have led recent departures. Winter visitors need warm layers and sturdy traction.

“We were lucky to have Tom as our guide. He is extremely knowledgeable not only about Japanese history but also gave an excellent summary of sake production and the different types as well as the snow monkeys and Nagano attractions. Tom was also very generous with recommendations for other areas in Japan. The tour was an excellent combination of the temple tour and snow monkey forest. Fantastic lunch included. Plenty of time to see the Zenkoji temple as well as the monkeys. Thanks Tom”

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2.Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Day Trip

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

Join an English-speaking guide such as Dylan, Brent, or Tom for a full day in Nagano. Visit Zenkoji Temple, enter its pitch-black inner passage if you choose, taste several sakes, enjoy a generous local lunch, and walk 1.6 km each way to the Snow Monkey Park.

“What a wonderful day! The guides were great and very informative. The transportation was perfect. The meal was amazing. So fun and wonderful.”

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3.Food & Cultural Walking Tour around Zenkoji temple in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 58 reviews · from $91

Spend about three hours with a local guide such as Masa or Kasumi exploring Zenkoji’s temple town, neighborhood shrines, and back streets. You’ll try two oyaki, sake, miso soup, matcha, and Japanese sweets, with photographs sent afterward.

“Love the food and talking to Masa. The experience was very personable, informative, interesting at a relaxed pace and fun.”

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4.Nagano/Tokyo: Snow Monkey and Zenkoji Temple Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 54 reviews

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano with an English-speaking driver such as Ali, Raza, Fahad, Hadi, or Sunny. Visit Jigokudani Monkey Park, Zenkoji Temple, Obuse, Shibu Onsen, and more in a private vehicle for up to six. The route is flexible, but the long drive means you should choose stops carefully.

“Raza was fantastic guide and very informative on the tour. He is very knowledgeable about Tokyo and all of Japan and provides great insights in to the locations and surrounding areas visited. He is a safe and reliable driver, a very friendly and humble guy, and we felt in good hands for all of our trip. would have no issue at all travelling with him again next time we are in Japan! Thanks so much Raza for a fantastic tour and all of your knowledge and experience!”

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5.Snow Monkeys & Togakushi Shrine Two-Spot in-One Day

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 35 reviews · 8 hours · from $202

Spend eight hours with an English-speaking guide such as Chris, Dai, Kazu, or Shuhei, visiting Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park and Togakushi Shrine by private car. You’ll walk 30 to 40 minutes to the monkeys, enjoy a local lunch, and receive tour photos afterward.

“Our guide, Chris, was absolutely excellent. From the moment he picked us up at our hotel (which was outside of his normal pickup zone, no less) until he dropped us back off we had a blast. The conversation was great and we asked lots of questions throughout the day that he answered easily! We started with the snow monkeys and thought there was no way the day was going to get better, but Togakushi Shrine was breathtaking. We went in January. After the New Year crowds died down. It was snowy. The Redwoods made us feel so small. We stopped for lunch in between locations and appreciated the tips that…”

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6.Food & Cultural Walking Tour around Zenkoji temple in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · 3 hours · from $88Best value

Meet your English-speaking guide at Nagano Station for a three-hour small-group walk through Zenkoji’s temple town. You’ll taste fire-warmed oyaki, soba tea, sake, miso, and matcha, while guides such as Masa and Takuma explain local food, religion, and back-street life.

“Masa was a very knowledgeable and friendly guide who obviously loved Nagano and knew it well. He gave us a lovely personalised walking tour (there was only my husband and I on the tour) around the Zenkoji temple and provided lots of information about Japanese culture and religion and Nagano in particular. The food tasting was great too, especially the delicious Oyaki, cooked over hot fire, and the Matcha icecream went down a treat on a hot day. Highly recommended.”

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