Things to do in Nagano

What to bring: Drinks and snacks, waterproof shoes, waterproof jacket, umbrella, hat, phone cross-body strap, backpack, wet wipes. We went on a small tour with our Alpan guide, just 11 of us. It started at 8:00 AM and ended at 1:30 PM. First, don't go to the snow wall; go to the pond first and walk as far as you can. You can see everything at the snow wall in about 25 minutes round trip. You can see the pond with melted ice, the hot springs in the distance, and if you're lucky, even the mascot bird. The bird poses well, so you can comfortably take photos. Although it was a very quick tour, I'm satisfied. I'm thinking of going again personally during the upcoming winter season. Alpan guides are the best! If you get an Alpan guide, your trip will be much easier.

The trip was super nice. It still pushed through even though we're only 5 in the group. The pacing just feels right for both the snow monkey and the shrines. Helen, our tour guide, was also very accommodating and friendly.

We had a great time on this tour and are so glad we booked it! If we could give extra stars, we would. Carp was such a great tour guide — so engaging, friendly, and informative. We appreciated how kind and considerate she was with pointing out where the stamps were when she saw we were collecting them + making sure we were on time but also giving us a lot of grace and space to take in everything. There were clear instructions and communication on how to meet, what the schedule was going to be, and they even provided us food at the end of our long day. Moreover, the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route was BEAUTIFUL. We were in awe of everything and truly believe we had such a great time thanks to Carp. She even helped us get into another tour with her last minute for a few days later to Hitachi Seaside Park! The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route tour was definitely one of the highlights of our Japan trip. Thank you Carp!

We loved this tour! It was fun but also easy and stress free having Dillon as our guide, and transportation via bus to all sites. Dillon had an incredible wealth of knowledge about all things Snow Monkeys, Sake, and Zenkoji Temple. We enjoyed this experience and is a highlight of our trip! Be mindful the walk to see the monkeys is long but worth it, and if you do the dark passage at the temple, it takes up a bit of your free time that you may otherwise prefer to use for exploring shops and food options.

Meeting point at Nagano Station very convenient. Our guide very friendly and responsible. At each stop, they ensure every participants are present. Beautiful scenery. We transferred onto different transportation to reach the Alpine. Highly recommended.

We really enjoyed this tour and the cherry blossom in Takato was breathtaking. Our guide, Carp Feng, was excellent and patient and made the trip even more memorable. We highly recommend this tour to everybody during the cherry blossom season.

This was an amazing day in Nikko and surrounding area. Pick up was punctual and as discussed. Our driver took us to few amazing places and gave us a time to explore. No rushing, no chasing, relax and enjoyable trip. We recommend to anyone!

this was a fantastic trio of villages to visit, especially in winter. Gokayama is quiet and otherworldly! The paper washi making was super fun, our guide and driver were consistent and reliable, the car itself was comfy, and the scenery between places was absolutely breathtaking. definitely worth paying the money to get to experience the immense beauty of this region without the hassle of driving or getting around via other methods.

Had a fantastic day tour with our friendly tour guide Jens. He was very informative with clear instructions throughout the day which made everything go smoothly. The itinerary wasn't too rushed and the pace suited us well. Bus was large and comfortable. We were able to borrow snow gear prior to 1.5hrs of snow fun at Shiga Kogen. Lunch was great and tasty aswell. The walk to see the snow monkeys was challenging due to the icy track - crampons are a must in winter! Would thoroughly recommend this day tour overall!