What you Need to Know Before Visiting the Iwatayama Monkey Park in Arashiyama

Many people underestimate how much there is to do while visiting Arashiyama. We were lucky enough to book an entire day here to explore, but we would have booked a hotel to extend our time there if we could have done it all over again. One of the attractions that often gets overlooked by those who only think that the Bamboo Grove is all there is to see is the Iwatayama Monkey Park. Many people are dissuaded when they see that it’s a 30-minute to 1-hour hike uphill to where you’ll see the monkeys. They either can’t spare the time or can’t spare the energy. But let me tell you right now – it’s worth it…well worth it. If you’re coming all the way to Japan, don’t be put off by a little walk.

Access

The Iwatayama Monkey park is located right across from the Hozu River. It is marked with bright red torii gates sitting on the forest edge. The best way to access the park is from Hankyu Arashiyama Station. From here, it’s just a 5-minute walk up to the entrance. If arriving from JR Saga-Arashiyama Station, the walk is only 15 minutes, and you get to see a lot of the village along the way.

Admission and Hours

The park is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from March to September and in the Fall and Winter from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The entrance fee for the park is 550 yen ($5 USD)

Ichitanimunakata Shrine

Before you approach the ticketing gate, stop at the Ichitanimunakata Shrine. This shrine is from the Taiho period (701-704) and may be one of the oldest shrines you see on your travels. There aren’t many signs or information about it, but it’s worth stopping to admire the ancient designs.

Tips for Interacting with the Monkeys

Next, you’ll turn and make your way to the ticketing booth. Here you pay the admission and hand over any bags the monkeys might be able to steal before heading up the mountain. Luckily our knapsacks were acceptable, and we could head right on up. After paying, you are handed cards with instructions on not interacting with the monkeys.

• Don’t stare the monkeys in the eye
• Don’t touch the monkeys
• Don’t feed the monkeys outside food
• Don’t take pictures on the way (we totally did this)

I have to say, these instructions freaked me out, but we’d already paid and seeing as I hadn’t read anything about people being mauled to death recently, we started to hike up the hill. The trek was harder than I had imagined it to be. But the weath

•  Don’t take pictures on the way (we totally did this)

I have to say, these instructions freaked me out. But we’d already paid, and seeing as I hadn’t read anything about people being mauled to death recently, we started to hike up the hill. The trek was harder than I had imagined it to be. But the weather was pleasant, and it was a nice way to get a little exercise and work off one of the many bowls of ramen we’d already consumed on this trip.

er was pleasant, and it was a nice way to get a little bit of exercise and work off one of the many bowls of ramen we’d consumed already on this trip.

The Hike

I think it took us about 35 minutes after stopping a few times for some water. We were glad to have good walking shoes and something to drink with us since there were no places to get beverages until there was, of course, a vending machine at the top of the hill. As we climbed higher and higher, the landscape changed, trees became more sparse, and soon we heard the first call of a monkey somewhere off in the distance, hidden amongst the trees.

Although it wasn’t too warm when we hiked, on sunny days in the summer, it must get so hot on your way up, so the air conditioning room would, I’m sure, be an oasis in the tropical forest. There were also several fans (if you can believe it) stuck in the middle of the woods where you could take a break and get some cold air.

The View at the Top

As soon as we reached the top, over 160 meters above sea level, we were rewarded with an incredible view that overlooked what felt like the entire world. But in reality, the city of Arashiyama, Kyoto, the Kyoto mountains and the Hozu River. There were several binoculars to look down on the city from up here, but we were here to see the monkeys!

Japanese Macaques

The monkeys running around the top of this mountain are Japanese Macaques or “Snow Monkeys.” They get their name because snow covers the ground up in the mountains during the winter. No other nonhuman primate lives in a colder climate.

They were much bigger than I had previously imagined and cruised around the tourists like it was nothing. I did my best to avoid eye contact with them, quickly looking away if one happened to glance up at me.

Caretakers and anthropologists

Caretakers and anthropologists were stationed up there to look after the monkeys and ensure no one disobeyed the rules. They also track their habits, breeding and life span to learn more about these creatures and how to help their population all over Japan. It was a little scary to see such wild animals so close. They were free, and a few would get into screaming matches with each other – displaying strength and aggression toward the females.

After a little while, you got more comfortable with the animals because they didn’t seem interested in biting your head off. I watched them play, sleep and pick bugs off each other for a snack. Some seemed to have their own groups, and some kept to themselves. Just like us!

Feeding the Monkeys

Inside the small building at the top of the mountain are refreshments for humans and treats for the monkeys. You’re only allowed to feed them inside this fenced shed to ensure they’re not eating unauthorized food. We bought a few bags of peanuts and bananas and fed the greedy little monkeys. Each one of them fought over a few nuts. Their little hands and faces were so human-like. Watching them meticulously peel the peanuts was fascinating. It was a gentle reminder of how close we really are to them. After feeding the monkeys and taking a water break inside the bottle-proof shed, we headed back outside. We explored the upper and lower levels of the monkey viewing area.

Once you started to look, monkeys seemed to be hiding everywhere. I overheard one of the employees saying that there were over 200 monkeys in this area alone!

We took a moment on the bench to enjoy both the monkeys around us and the views of the city and the forest. Although the view of the city is stunning, the view of the lush, undisturbed forest was even more interesting. It was so dense and bright green. With so many monkeys up here, I could only imagine how many monkeys made that enormous forest their home.

Bamboo Groves of Arashiyama

Seeing as thousands of people visit the Bamboo Groves of Arashiyama every day, it was shocking to see such a small turnout of travellers here at the top of everything. We didn’t mind at all, though. More monkeys for us. We walked around a little more. Pointing out our favourite monkeys and skittering away from the bigger, scarier ones. Finally, we gathered our strength to make the journey back down the hill. The way down wasn’t as hard as the way up but seeing as we only had walking shoes (not hiking boots), some of the slipperier parts of the hill proved a little difficult. Nonetheless, we made it back down in one piece!

Although the hike and the time it will take might seem steep (both literally and figuratively) – this trek is worth the time and effort. You’ll rarely have unique opportunities to see such creatures so close up in the wild and get the incredible views the top of this mountain offers. Souvenirs and ice cream cones can be found all over Japan; this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.