I’d heard about Japan’s “snow monkeys” for years. The snow monkey, also known as the Japanese macaque, is a primate native to Japan and famous for coping with winters that are properly brutal, snow, ice, and temperatures that can drop below -20°C. They’re easy to spot once you know what you’re looking for: thick brown-grey fur that looks like it was made for blizzards, bright red faces, and those short little tails. But the thing they’re most well-known for (and honestly, the reason I was excited to meet them) is their habit of soaking in natural hot springs, or onsen, to keep warm. Literally my spirit animal as I ALSO love to onsen!

I pre booked our snow monkeys tour for smack in the middle of our skiing time as B usually needs a break by that day. I booked online with the local Nozawa company who host the tours although apparently there are a few new groups offering full day options. Looking at the schedule below I was a bit sad I only get an hour with them…but apparently that’s actually too much time and I was likely to be easily done by then. This was absolutely correct by the way. Also be aware they place a hold on your credit card when you book then keep renewing it….i didn’t recognise the charge when it was renewed and it caused some chaos.

Cost was 8000 yen ($80 AUD) each and I also got a 10% discount as we are staying in nozawa accomodation,

The monkeys were adorable and I officially want to steal one. The babies were catapulting each other off trees while the parents sunbathed.

Our food today included:

• Bus snacks (pocky, everyone loves pocky. And hi-chews)
• Breakfast was a steamed bun from the roadside again
• Dinner was at Tanuki cafe and while it was pricey it was very, very tasty.. the miso chicken was particularly good but so were the desserts….and the scallops….all of it really!

I have held firm to my “I’m not getting out of bed when you do because I don’t need to be on the first gondala” determination the past few days haha. So B gets up for brekkie and I stay snuggled in my bed (we have a twin share room so it really is my bed lol). B has gotten up a bit later the last few days anyway which makes things easier.

The stamp book is a cool touristy thing to keep people like me (non skiers) occupied! There are 27 stamps and commemorative plaques scattered around town. I picked up a stamp book from the Tourist Information Centre at each stop I could find, I took a rubbing using the small wooden pestle attached to the stand. I laid the green and white sheets over the matching plaque number, then rubbed until the impression came through. It took a bit of effort!

This link has more the info about the stamp trail booklet https://en.nozawaski.com/the-village/activities/stamp-trail/ . I definitely want at least 10 stamps so I can get my free towel! As of today (Day 3 in Nozawa) I have 14 stamps! My goal is to get to 20 but I’m finding it trickier now I’ve got the easy ones. Some are also obstructed by snow!

My routine the last few days was much of a muchness. Onsen in the morning, different Gyoza for lunch, afternoon reading in front of the fire. Anywhere between 3-4:30pm B comes back from the snow and we do a variation of onsen / eat / have a drink based on how busy it is, reservation time etc. I’ve been enjoying mt village wandering.

B has been loving the snow and sends me awesome snow view pics from the mountain where he skis anywhere from 20-40kms a day. Madness. .

Food eaten over the last few days includes:

• winterland bar for the gyoza at lunch time. Very few lunchtime places open in the village and these are pretty tasty even though it’s a western run joint

• Dinner at Nama Bar (reservation needed) for kashiage which is baked sticks of things lol. The food and drinks were great but the service was some of the worst I’ve ever had

• Aunt Mary’s crepes on the way home after a few drinks….i had banana chocolate and custard and yes it was delicious

• another lot of gyoza for lunch, same place lol Omnomnom titan gyoza
• Dinner at a local ramen bar nearby tonight for B I just had snacks as my ear infection is back with a vengeance. The place is called something Japanese….ao here’s the link. It is a bit out of town but only a 2 min walk for us https://maps.app.goo.gl/e2fZ9i1J9ptgoDVh6?g_st=ic

B organised the transit for this part as I really struggled with Japanese websites and the language barriers for this. He managed to work it all out and book us 2 x reserved Shinkansen seats for the 2hr bullet train out to Iiyama. These were e tickets booked online then digitally linked to our suica cards. It meant we had no paper tickets and just “scanned” our way through all the gates with the suica cards on our phones.

We then also used our suica cards to get on the “Nozawa liner” bus that drove us 40 mins from Iiyama to the little snow town of Nozawa Onsen. The shuttle process worked well but (and it’s a big but) we just made it on to the bus and there was still a huge load of people left at the freezing cold train station…with buses that only come every 2 hrs! I have to assume they have a plan for that? We are going to try and find out wha happens to those people and if they end up stuck for 2hrs. Surely not?

The Shinkansen 90 min trip was a very pretty one as we got closer and closer to snow.

We are staying in Nozawa Onsen for 12 days (apparently that’s a very long time lol) so B can ski and I can attempt to boil myself in every onsen that will let me in with my copious tattoos. And eat a lot of ramen. So much ramen. 

After we arrived at 4pm, we stopped at the visitor centre so I could collect my stamp book (more on that in the next post) and they gave us some great tips on restaurants, onsens etc. Then we checked in at Mitsubachi Maya pension. It’s very basic but also well priced and we managed to get a private ensuite room (lots of shared bathrooms in this town as it is all small accomodation) which is a must have for me when I travel.

Our first evening we visited Sparena. This is the only onsen here with a bathers only section so you can onsen with your partner if they are a different gender to you. We thought the downstairs “kid friendly” chlorination pool was a bit cool (35C) and just kinda like a warm bath….but see the value for people with littlies. Then we found there was an upstairs, open air natural spring fed one at 42 – 44C.  Much happier there! Here’s a photo of the upstairs pool from the Nozawa Onsen website.

While it cost to get in (900 yen) it also meant we could attend together which I really liked. And we also got the Sulfur springs directly fed through in the the upstairs hot spring. So not a fully authentic onsen experience but still has points of value. And a pretty view as we walked out as well.

I wasn’t feeling 100% by the time we got out (travel day, painkillers, sore throat) so we ate dinner at Sparena which was convenient….but basically fast food ramen lol. Then it was off to bed for B to get up early for day 1 of skiing.

Day 9 started with complimentary breakfast at Mitsubachi Maya and was a very basic mix of Western and some Japanese food. They had toast so I was happy. Given I don’t ski/board I don’t think I’ll be getting up for the breakfast after today 🤣 then B headed off.

I did a little bit of writing and some lazing, then wandered into town. It was eerily silent walking around the ski town when everyone is out on the slopes!

I attempted to visit a local onsen where a kindly local lady told me “it’s only 48C so a good beginner one”. No. No no no. Haha even in the 15 mins I was in there on my own I couldn’t acclimatise enough to stick my foot in. Please enjoy this photo of what would have been my local onsen if I wasn’t convinced I would become a Mel hot pot.

Instead, I walked over to Furusato-no-Yu which charges a nominal fee (700Y) and enjoyed their outdoor 42C traditional onsen in the snow. Beautiful. I’m so over the awkwardness of being naked these days so made friends with a very nice Japanese grandma.

My lunch options were pretty limited within the town as a lot of places are closed, I ended up at Winterland Lodge which is staffed entirely by 20yo Americans however they sell some fantastic local gyoza and I plan to work my way through that menu over the next week. Today was pork and the local green veg here (Nozawana) which is like a mustard green,

After lunch I just had chill time until B came off the mountain, then we did another visit to Sparena (to catch up) and then headed to the main road who was crazy busy. So many tourists! I had an apple and cinnamon bun and a baileys hot chocolate (yum).

dinner at a recommended soba noodle place “Daimon Soba House”. We lined up 15 mins before they opened and just got into the first service. B had soba noodles with pork (a lot of pork) and I had a rice ball with an Onsen egg which was delicious.

So tattoos in Japan are still a bit of a cultural no-no. It’s definitely changing from when we came here in 2013/14…then 2020….and now 2026. I don’t have big gaps around me on the train any more! And we have seen a few younger Japanese people with small tattoos.

However, onsens are a whole other thing.

An onsen is a hot spring, although the term is often extended to also describe the bathing facilities, outdoor baths, spas and inns around the hot springs. In towns with hot baths not from local springs (like Tokyo) they are called sentos. It’s communal bathing and you are gender segregated and only wearing your birthday suit. Yep. You’re nakey. No covering up

Which means tattoos are a real issue for my love of onsens. And covering up 9ish tattoos including 4 large ones isn’t viable anymore.

The first time I went into an onsen in Niseko in Jan 2014 the lady at the front desk told me “tattoo okay”. I took my top off and a Japanese grandma smacked me with her towel and yelled at me…back out I went lol. No relaxing Onsen for me that day!

We have found in snow regions most places tend to be more flexible. They have adapted to Aussies, Kiwis and even Americans who tend to have quite large and visible tattoo work. Tomorrow we are off to a snow town called Nozawa Onsen which has 13 small, locally run onsens. They are very, very small. I’m so excited! I’ll be using them during the day though….on my own….and with just the locals in the bath, no front desk staff. So I’m practicing my phrasing tonight to try and win them over in the hope I can boil myself alongside them.

We went on a practice run from Akasaka to Tokyo station today to make sure we knew where the Shinkansen was. We are doing the digital tickets for the first time linked to our suica and it’s a new process and a bit stressful. So we don’t want to be too early….but also need to leave time for if it fails.

After we worked out our pacing, I decided I wanted to find ramen street which is on the basement level of Tokyo station. We wandered for a bit, then started to see signage. Yay! It was still surprisingly difficult to find and I was surprised at the lack of signage. Then I spotted Ikaruga which was a highlighted eatery so I knew we were in the right place.

We had to use the ticket machine first (cash or travel cards only) then line up and the lining up process is very strict! You must follow all the rules.

We were the only non Japanese people in the line and in the restaurant and we were seated in about 10 mins so it was quick. About 5 mins later our “original ramen” came out. It was 1290 yen and was really good pork ramen. The broth was delicious.

After lunch we walked back up character street which was creepy as heck and I bought banana cookies. Very tasty. Not worth $12 AUD lol. But at least I succeeded in buying something gimmicky!

We were a bit knackered and peopled out after last nights efforts + the snow tomorrow so dinner was Burger King and an early night tonight.

We slept in again today (this hotel is really quiet so great for sleep ins!) and then headed off to Ginza. I have realised the jacket I brought is simply not going to cut it once we get to Nozawa…if I am not coping in 0C in Tokyo I sure won’t cope in -15C or worse there! Ginza had both a Uniqlo and a Gu store (sister brand of Uniqlo) and failing that a very pricy montbell store. I was out to get the “super warm padded” jacket from Gu rated for 0 down to -25C and was lucky enough they had it in stock! I had to buy it one size too big but for $90 AUD I’ll take it. 

While in Ginza, we also gave pudding lab a go. We tried their most well known gimicky product which is called “100％プリンソフト” (100% pudding soft). It’s not exactly a soft serve ice cream, but more like pudding turned into a soft serve style by liquefying the pudding, then running it through a soft‐serve freezer machine so it comes out creamy, soft, and swirled. You also get to choose two accompanying sauces. It was expensive but I thought it was yummy. 

After lunch and shopping it was nap time before a wander to Hie Jinja Shrine and dinner at my all time favourite restaurant Kobe Beef Kaseikii 511 Kobe Beef Kaiseki 511.

The shrine is apparently lovely during the day but we wandered over after they had closed to see the 90 Tori gates at night time.

Then we walked 10 mins to the restaurant. Among the 12-point scale, they exclusively offer Kobe beef rated BMS 11 or higher – an extremely rare grade representing just 0.1% of the approximately 800,000 Wagyu cattle produced worldwide each year. So…definitely expect to pay $$$ for that level of Wagyu. This is definitely a special occasion restaurant for us! I even had to bring a nice dress just to go here haha. 

This was my third visit and we did notice changes this time! Everyone had a separate seating area and it was quite private (although you can hear people next to you). It’s also different to other countries where a degustation is very spread out….this was one dish straight after another. I think that may be a cultural norm though? Not sure. 

I did the four course menu with sirloin and B did the same one but with ribeye : 

1. Kobe-beef rillette

2. Appetizers

(Kobe-beef ham with smoked cheese

Red wine braised Kobe-beef

Marinated Tasmanian salmon)

3. Fruit tomato Salad

4. Kobe beef sushi

5. Kobe-beef minestrone

6. Kiln-baked Kobe-beef Sir-loin steak(150g)

7. Dojima Roll Cake

It was delicious! And so worth the cost. We continued our tradition of pairing with a French Pinot noir although I do note they seem to have shifted from having a sommelier to training their service staff in which wines to suggest. He did seem to know his stuff though. 

After dinner we wandered down the road to champagne and gyoza again and had a few glasses of bubbles before we then walked 50m up the road to codename mixology which had very expensive but very tasty cocktails. We were able to sit at the bar and watch them make the drink which was definitely worth it. 

Then it was home time and drunken sleep time for me 🙂 

We slept in today after our big day trip yesterday and then headed to Imakatsu Akasaka which is a very well known katsu place walking distance from our hotel. This is their local (smaller) store which often has lines but we got in just before it got busy at about 11:45am. The katsu chicken was sooooo juicy! And delicious. And the set comes with refillable cabbage (use the white sauce on that) plus rice, pickles and miso soup. Yum yum yum. 

After lunch I did a few hours of work (yay travel and online uni) before we headed to the only onsen/sento bath I could find that was both tattoo and woman friendly. Rah Tokyo, get with the times please! This was the same onsen we visited 6 years ago called “Mannen-Yu” and is very local but also one of the few tattoo okay ones. It’s down a weird, tiny alley in Korea town. We also had the super interesting experience of a drunk local coming in, throwing up and then being removed by very angry owners. Not often you see Japanese being angry in public!

After the onsen, we visited Shibuya crossing (and got a semi decent photo from the free shopping centre overpass) before we ventured up to Shibuya Sky. We also saw the Hachiko statue which had a very long line I chose not to join so I snapped this sneaky photo instead.

I did try getting into L Occitane cafe before we did the free overpass photo but they had no view seats and the food was stupidly expensive….so free overpass it was!

I pre bought our evening tickets for shibuya sky (6pm session) about 2 weeks before and it was a good decision as they were totally sold out for the whole day about a week ahead….when we left just after 7pm the line was absolutely bonkers. I did try for sunset at midnight on the day tickets were released a few weeks ago but they sold out in under a minute.

We got to see the sky view, ride the (slightly terrifying) glass sided escalators and almost freeze to death as no hats or beanies allowed. I thought my ears might fall off.

We didn’t realise they have a bar within the inside viewing gallery so I recommend have a drink at that bar…which included premium view seating if you make a purchase per person. Don’t buy the food! It was awful. Just grab a few cocktails and some hot chips to justify the seat usage.

Then we headed to the champagne and gyoza bar around the corner from our hotel which was delicious! It’s very small (about 15 seats) and even though I was exhausted the fact they had spare seats as we went past meant I wanted to give it a go! Minimum spend is 1 drink per person and the champagne of the day was REALLY good although not cheap. Can also say the gyoza were top notch. I want to go back here again when I’m a bit more alert lol.

We went on a visitor/tourist day trip with “VIP Japan tours today” which can be found at this link: 

We met the bus at Shinjuku Post Office and it was all fairly easy, – small group, allocated seating, clear instructions, and we left exactly on time (I love you, Japan). The tour order got flipped because of traffic, so instead of finishing at Enoshima, we started there.

Enoshima Island was a beautiful first stop. It has that relaxed coastal feel, little streets you can wander, and plenty of spots to stop and take in the ocean views. The shrines are tucked into the greenery and feel unexpectedly peaceful for somewhere that apparently is so popular in peak times. And on a clear day, you can even spot Mt Fuji in the distance…sadly our day wasn’t clear.

We paid $5 AUD to use the escalators going up and walked back down the stairs. I considered it $5 well spent.

After that we headed to Kamakura and visited Hase-dera first. The gardens are gorgeous, the temple grounds have these sweeping views over Kamakura, and there is an eleven-headed Kannon statue although somehow we missed that? I was very happy to see some cherry blossoms though! Not sure how they are surviving in the middle of winter but I’ll take them. 

Then we went to Kōtoku-in and the Great Buddha. You can also go inside the statue, which I didn’t expect to be so interesting…and now I can tell everyone I’ve been in Buddhas butt. It is just a quick peek, but was cool to see how they made all interlocking plates. It started to snow properly while we were at the Buddha (not that common here) so we went back to the bus a bit early and I got to feed a tiny wild squirrel that likes to hang out with the parking attendants. 

Our last stop was Tsurugaoka Hachimangū Shrine, walking through the big torii gate and into a space that’s all ponds, bridges and gardens. From there we strolled down Komachi Street as well which is apparently shoulder to shoulder in tourist season (spring and summer) but was nowhere near as busy in cold/snowy type weather. I ate a Buddha cake with custard which was tasty and felt slightly sacriligeous. 

I was also very happy to get a new beanie here with proper ear coverage as I’m struggling with the cold!! It was 5C and snowed today….we aren’t even officially at the snow yet and I’m freezing. 

The bus dropped us back in Shinjuku around 5:30pm and this time we were on the same side as Omoide Yokocho skewer alley (memory lane).  We walked up and down to check the whole alley out as it wasn’t too busy, then we settled on a small bar that still had seats at the front counter. You have to squish in tight and they cook the food in front of you! We had chicken yakatori and a beef one as well….plus delicious plum umeshu with Soda. It’s also normal to have a seat charge here (about $3 each) so don’t panic about it being a bar scam if they have one when you visit.

Steps: 16590 

Japanese food: Lawson fried chicken, miso soup, rice, octopus tentacles (for B), Buddha cake, yakatori and some umeshu in Soda. 

Google: Shinjuku station has over 200 exits

Us: we know Google, we found about 57 of them this evening….

We did also find two lots of delicious ramen, the harry potter cafe, the magical “lord cat” in 3D in Shinjuku, a very dodgy walking street that was more in line with what you expect in Thailand and vending machine hot chocolate. 

During the day we went for a walk from our Akasaka accomodation to find the Harry Potter cafe. Super gimicky and expensive but really interesting if you’re a HP fan. 

After this visit I had a 1 hour uni lecture from 5-6pm and then we headed off to Shinjuku to try and work out our day trip pick up point for the next day. After some wandering and 57 different exits we did eventually work it out! 

In relation to the somewhat dodgy street, Sakura Dori, or Cherry Blossom Street, is a vibrant lane in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, known for its lively atmosphere, diverse establishments, and neon-lit scenery.

Once known as one of Kabukicho’s more ‘dangerous’ areas, it has transformed into a popular spot for tourists and locals alike…while still having an awful lot of 18+ signs and “girl bars”. We ended up here by accident after visiting the 3D “lord cat”. The giant 3D cat billboard in Tokyo, better known as the “Shinjuku Cat” or “lord cat” and is one of those fun little surprises Japan is known for. It sits on the Cross Shinjuku Building just outside the East Exit of JR Shinjuku Station, and the curved 4K screen makes the calico cat look properly three-dimensional. It stretches, yawns, meows, and peers down at people below, with different routines running across the day, and it pops up every 15 mins between ads.

After we found the cat, we realised it was the opposite side of Shinjuku station to the famous skewer alley and I was not up for another trek back through that Shinjuku labyrinth. Instead we went down cherry blossom street and had dinner at “Kamakura” known for its ramen in a clear, French style broth. 

Steps: 10733 

Japanese food: 2 x ramen, 1 x gyoza, vending machine snaaaacks!!