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As the only place in the world where wild monkeys freely enter and bathe in hot springs, visitors from all over the world come to the Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park to see the humorous sight of the “snow monkeys” enjoying a warm, luxurious bath amid the snowy landscape.

Surrounded by mountains over 2,000 meters and including over 70 lakes and ponds of various sizes, Shiga Highlands is a truly magnificent highland park. With about 20 ski resorts, it is one of the leading ski areas in Japan and was host to the 1998 Nagano Olympic alpine ski and snowboarding events. Of course, the winter activities here are superb, but in the green season, you can enjoy trekking, hot springs, and more, making this a great place to enjoy the grandeur of nature all year round.

The mountain range between Nagano and Niigata Prefectures contains everything from volcanoes such as Mt. Myoko, to the religiously venerated sites of Mt. Togakushi. In winter the ski resorts of Myoko Highlands are popular, while in the green season, Lake Nojiri offers water sports, and a chance to learn about the Prehistoric Palaeoloxodon naumanni, or Naumann Elephant, whose fossilized remains were discovered at the lake.

Nozawa Onsen (hot springs) has over 30 sources of bubbling, volcanic hot spring water and 13 places to enjoy taking a hot spring bath. Whether you are witnessing the local delicacy, nozawana pickles, being prepared and sold in the marketplace, or the spectacular Himatsuri (fire festival), Nozawa is packed with Japanese culture to enjoy. In Winter, the ski resort is very popular with foreign tourists.

The Shin’etsu trail has 80 km of trails following the ridge of the mountain range stretching from Nagano to Niigata Prefectures. You can experience nature and culture (you will doubtless encounter locals foraging for delicious mountain vegetables or mushrooms) on a genuinely long trekking course, rarely found in Japan.

With their well-preserved architecture, these two hot spring areas maintain the air of traditional hot spring towns. You will feel right at home in a yukata bathrobe and wooden geta sandals walking in the paved streets past the old wooden buildings. Many people drop in here on their way back from visiting the Snow Monkey Park.

Only 1 hour and 40 minutes from Tokyo and conveniently linked with all the major sights, Iiyama City is the hub of the Shin’etsu Shizenkyo Nature Park. Thanks to the world-beating snowfalls, the Snow Festival and Kamakura (traditional Japanese snow hut) festivals are held each winter. Forests and nature abound. Moreover, being dotted with over 20 temples, Iiyama has earned the name of “Temple Town”. This, combined with the remnants of the former castle and retaining some of the layout of a castle town, means Japanese traditional culture is strongly in evidence here.