Complete Guide to Visiting Arashiyama Monkey Park in Kyoto Japan

Visiting the Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama in Kyoto is an amazing experience to get close to cute Japanese snow monkeys (well, close from at least six feet away).

The snow monkeys are wild and free roaming, and I was honestly terrified before visiting the monkey park, thinking of all those wild monkeys running amok.

So what is it like in the park? What can you expect? How can you prepare?

Here is everything I wish I knew before visiting Arashiyama Monkey Park to help you make your visit a success.

About the Arashiyama Monkey Park in Kyoto

First of all, what exactly is this place? Is it a zoo? a sanctuary? Well, neither, not exactly.

It’s the home of free-roaming snow monkeys.

The Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama is a unique place in the mountains of Arashiyama, where about 120 Japanese snow monkeys roam freely. They’re not contained and can come and go as they please.

If the monkeys aren’t contained, why do they keep coming back?

The staff at Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama feed the wild monkeys in order to observe and study them.

There are also swimming holes, slides, and playground equipment for the monkeys to use.

The monkeys enjoy being at the park, and visitors enjoy seeing the monkeys. It seems to be a win-win.

Things to Know Before Visiting

Be Prepared for a Hike

The monkey park is at the top of a hill. You’ll purchase your ticket at the bottom, then have to climb 120 stairs plus a steep half-mile trail of switchbacks.

How long is the hike? The sign says it takes 20 minutes to walk up from the ticket booth to the top, but I think it takes longer, around 30 minutes. There are benches to periodically sit and rest throughout the climb as the steepness does make the trek moderately difficult. Many people were struggling during our visit.

Is it worth it? Yes, the climb is worth it! Along the way, you’ll see signs and quizzes about the monkeys to learn fun facts before you arrive.

Visit First Thing in the Morning

I highly recommend making the Arashiyama Monkey Park the first thing you do in Arashiyama. Here’s why:

1. The hike is a bit difficult, so do it in the morning when you have more energy and motivation. If you save it for later in the day, you may give up or not be in the best mood.
2. It will be less crowded in the morning. I arrived about an hour after the monkey park opened (about 10 a.m.) and found it pleasant with not too many people. When we left a little after 11 a.m., it was much more crowded.

Know How to Interact with the Wild Monkeys

There are lots of rules posted all over the monkey park, in multiple languages, telling visitors how to interact with the monkeys.

It’s important to keep in mind that the monkeys are wild and free roaming.

If the monkeys are wild, what is with the caged hut at the park?

Before visiting, I saw photos of the feeding hut at Arashiyama Monkey Park and mistakenly thought the monkeys were in a cage. They are not. We were in the cage. The monkeys are outside of the caged hut, waiting for food.

How do the wild monkeys act around people?

Honestly, it was a little unsettling for me to be around so many wild monkeys. Will they jump on me? Take my backpack? Pull my hair?

Well, my worries were unfounded because these monkeys were pretty calm and polite.

They seemed to mind their own business and didn’t really care that much about the human visitors.

Just be sure to be respectful in return, and follow the park’s rules:

1. Always keep at least a 2-meter, 6-foot distance from the monkeys. Sometimes the monkeys will be the ones to come close to you, so in those cases, try to step back.
2. Don’t stare the monkeys in the eye. They may feel threatened or take it as a challenge. This is hard to do because, as visitors, we want to observe the monkeys, but at the same time you can’t stare. Use your peripheral vision and look around instead of directly at a particular monkey.
3. Don’t touch the monkeys. If you can’t get close to the monkeys, it goes without saying that touching them is off limits as well.
4. Don’t feed the monkeys outside of the feeding hut. Don’t bring food in, and don’t show the monkeys food. The only way to feed them is from inside the hut where you can purchase food for 100 yen and pass the food through the meshed cage.

Expect to Spend About 2 Hours Here

The monkey park is quite small, so after watching and feeding the monkeys and taking in the views, there’s not much else to do.

The climb up to the monkey park may take just as long as your stay inside the monkey park.

I’d suggest planning to spend about 2 hours at the Arashiyama Monkey Park.

What to Do at Arashiyama Monkey Park

1. Observe the monkeys. The monkeys are very playful, cute, and funny. We saw monkeys climbing, shouting, fighting, running, jumping, and swimming. It was something I’ll remember for a long time.
2. Take in the views at 160 meters (about 525 feet) above sea level. The views from the Arashiyama Monkey Park are stunning. You can see Arashiyama and Kyoto as well as the distant mountains. It makes the climb worth it.
3. Feed the monkeys in the feeding hut. The only place to feed the monkeys is from inside the feeding hut. It costs 100 yen for monkey food, and you can choose to give them either peanuts or apples. Each person is allowed to purchase one pack of monkey food, and you’re asked to leave the hut once your food is gone.
4. Collect a unique monkey park stamp. Inside the feeding hut, you’ll find a cool monkey park stamp to add to your goshuin stamp book collection. You can also stamp your ticket if you don’t have a book.

Interesting Facts about the Monkeys

I saw these fun facts on signs posted around the Arashiyama Monkey Park and on the trail.

Here are some interesting facts about the monkeys at Arashiyama Monkey Park:

• The Arashiyama monkeys are an endemic species in Japan called a Japanese monkey or macaca fuscata. They are sometimes called snow monkeys or macaque monkeys.
• The monkey park opened in 1957, and the first monkeys were named “Mino” and “Koziwa.”
• All of the monkeys at the monkey park have names to distinguish their family relationships. The monkeys are given the name of their mother plus their birth year, so “Mino-79” was a monkey born in 1979 whose mom was named Mino. Mino-79 had a baby in 1991, and it was named “Mino-79-91.”
• The Japanese monkeys are born between April and July, so this is when you can come to see the baby monkeys. The monkeys reach adulthood at age 10 and live for about 30 years.
• Bleeding season is from October to February, when their face and buttocks become redder than usual.
• Japanese monkeys are omnivores, but they don’t eat other mammals. They eat fruit, leaves, and insects.
• Other animals coexist in the Arashiyama Monkey Park habitat, including deer, birds, and boars.
• Monkeys communicate with facial expressions. For example, when a monkey shows their upper teeth, they’re afraid. And when one shows its bottom teeth, it’s angry.

When to Visit Arashiyama Monkey Park

Autumn: I’m partial to fall because I visited in late November and thought the fall foliage was stunning. The red and yellow trees were so vibrant!

Spring: Spring is another good time to visit because there will be cherry blossoms (for two weeks) and then the baby monkeys will be born in late spring.

Summer: Summer will be hot and humid, so it might be a bit more difficult climbing the hill and being outside. There is an air-conditioned room for visitors to use if a break from the heat is needed.

Winter: Winter brings snow, and while it is beautiful, some days may have too much snow and cause the park to close.

How to Get to the Arashiyama Monkey Park

The best and fastest route to the Arashiyama Monkey Park depends on your starting point.

Use Google Maps / Apple Maps to map out the best route for you.

Note that there are a few stations in Arashiyama with similar names.

Option 1: Take the Light Rail to Arashiyama Station

I ended up taking the light rail Randen Arashiyama Line to the last station, A13 Arashiyama Station. Arashiyama Stations is right in the middle of the Kimono Forest and on the main street in Arashiyama.

After arriving at Arashiyama Station, simply walk across the Togetsukyo Bridge to the monkey park, which is about 0.25 miles away.

You don’t need tickets and can just tap your IC card on the way on/off.

Option 2: Take the Train to Saga-Arashiyama Station

There is a train (the JR San-In Line Rapid) that leaves from Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama Station, which is a little bit farther away from the monkey park.

It’s a 0.75-mile walk from the station, across the Togetsukyo Bridge, to the monkey park.

Where to Stay in Kyoto for a Day Trip to Nara

I visited Arashiyama as a day trip while staying in Kyoto.

There are a lot of options of where to stay in Kyoto, and in the end I’m glad I chose not to stay in the super touristy areas.

Where I stayed: I stayed at the ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto, which is in a quiet neighborhood, by a major subway station — Nijojo-mae Station — and right across the street from the beautiful Nijo Castle. The hotel is in the process of being renovated, and we were fortunate to be put in one of the newly remodeled rooms (you can request one, too).

Free shuttle service: ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto offers a free shuttle bus service to Kyoto Station. We used it almost every morning for day trips.

• This is the most current shuttle bus schedule that matched the one I saw during my visit in November 2024. It may be different today, so call the hotel if the shuttle doesn’t appear. Some of the staff at this hotel also speak English.

Nearby restaurants: During our stay in Kyoto, we did three day trips including the one to Arashiyama, and because of this we often returned late. It was so nice to have a go-to ramen restaurant for dinner and to be staying in such a quiet, safe neighborhood. It’s a fond memory of heading into the warm ramen shop every night, leaving the rain outside, and slurping the best noodles we had in Japan.

• Ramen Fukuchian – Nijō-jō Castle: This corner ramen shop is open until 9 p.m. and it is so good. I also tried the famous Ichiran ramen while in Japan, and this ramen shop was way better. For vegetarians, they offer a vegetarian miso ramen!
• Colorado Masusan: Just steps away from the hotel is this cute cafe that serves the most delicious egg toast and matcha milk. I am now a huge fan of the thick Japanese toast, and I loved eating here every morning.
• 7-Eleven: We became obsessed with the smoothie machine at 7-Eleven, and we walked here often, morning and night, to make our daily smoothie.

How to save money: For Americans, I recommend applying for an IHG credit card to receive a sign-up offer that will cover several nights at the ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto hotel. That is what I did, and I was able to cover my entire stay with points.

What to Pack for Your Trip to Japan

Comfortable and convenient footwear

You’ll likely walk a lot while visiting Japan, so a good pair of walking shoes is a must. However, one additional recommendation is make sure your sneakers are slip-in.

Why wear slip-in sneakers?

Many traditional places in Japan require guests to remove shoes before entering. Shoes with a lot of laces are hard to get off. But slip-ins? A breeze.

• Slip-in sneakers — I wore this pair of slip-in sneakers from Skechers my entire trip to Japan, and it was so convenient! I didn’t even have to sit down to take off my shoes, like everyone else did. My shoes just slipped right off. I also felt comfortable in these shoes despite walking 20,000 steps every single day.
• Ankle socks — Be sure to wear ankle-covering socks with your shoes so you don’t get blisters with all that walking. I wore these Hanes ankle socks every day of my trip to Japan and didn’t get a single blister.

Favorite travel essentials

• I really recommend these compression packing cubes. They’re very thick and durable and allow you to pack more than you expect.
• I also love this travel backpack that opens like a suitcase, fits almost as much as a carry-on, and has tons of pockets as well as a strap to attach to your luggage handle. It makes traveling so much easier and more organized.
• I bring this AirFly receiver for AirPods with me on long-haul flights, so I can connect to the plane’s video screen with my own AirPods.
• I no longer hop on a flight without wearing my Sockwell compression socks because they really do help relieve/prevent leg cramps from sitting so long in one place. I have the lotus pattern, but there are other patterns to choose from, such as this cat pattern or this flower pattern. See all sock patterns in the Sockwell storefront.

Other Posts to Help You Plan Your Trip to Japan

Kyoto

• Best Alternatives to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto
• Best Kimono Tea Ceremony in Kyoto (Review + Tips)
• How to Get Your Manga Portrait at the Kyoto Manga Museum

Day Trips from Kyoto

• Day Trip to Himeji Castle and Koko-en Garden from Kyoto or Osaka
• Hidden Gem in Nara Japan: Guide to Visiting Yoshikien Garden

Tokyo

• How to Plan a Day Trip to Mt Fuji from Tokyo
• Complete Guide to Visiting Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo Japan