6 Tips for visiting Kyotos Monkey Park Iwatayama

Japanese Macaque Monkey

Iwatayama Monkey Park is a park located in Arashiyama, Western Kyoto, Japan. The park is situated on Mt Arashiyama. There are over 170 Japanese Macaque monkeys also known as ‘Snow Monkeys’. The animals are wild but you can purchase food for 100 Yen to feed them. The humans are in 'the cage', not the monkeys. Admission Fee for adults is 550 yen and 250 yen for a child under 15 years. 

To get there we visited the Bamboo Forest first and then kept walking along the Bamboo trail where it eventually looped to a river. We followed the river to the 400 year old Togetsu-kyō Bridge, where we crossed to get to the park. 

The 400 year old Togetsu-kyō Bridge

 

Scenery on the other side of the bridge

My tips for the Monkey park are below.

1. Wear good walking shoes and pack a water bottle

This is indeed a mountain you are climbing in every sense of the word. The Monkey Park is situated at the top of Mt Arashiyama. It’s a very steep (almost vertical) 20-30 minute walk straight up. There are rest stops every so often (you will need them). Being of average fitness, it was ok, but I was puffed out by the time I reached the top. I even 'trained' prior to my visit so I could tackle this climb. 

As you go up the mountain, you will see more and more monkeys. Pay attention to the signs regarding not staring at them or showing teeth. These are wild monkeys.

There are stairs but you can avoid walking on these most of the way as there is a flat trail bit if you prefer not to walk up steps.

There is no other way to get to the top of the Mountain except walking. I would not advise if you are very unfit, unwell, have very young kids who can’t walk far or well, or very old. It is a strenuous climb up hill. Primary school aged kids would do fine going up the hill. Very young children would struggle a bit – but if you take your time it would be ok.

If you are moderately fit, you will have no problems climbing this mountain. 

The climb up to the top of the Monkey Hill

2. The view at the top of the Mountain is worth it!

Not only do you get to see and feed the monkeys – the view over Kyoto is superb. You can see for miles.

At the top you can see all over Kyoto

 

3. Don’t go on a rainy day

Not only is a rainy day miserable to be climbing a mountain, there is no shelter at all going up the Mountain until you get to the top. Also, on a rainy day you won’t have much of a view either of Kyoto from the top.

5. The Monkeys are not in a cage! Heed the warning signs

Once you get to the top of the mountain you will see many more monkeys. Make sure you follow all the signs including:

1. Do not look into the monkeys eyes
2. Do not take photos up close. Stay 2 meters away from the monkeys
3. Do not show your teeth
4. Do not touch the monkeys (even in the human ‘cage’). They can scratch you as they grab the food.
5. Only feed the monkeys inside the human cage.

Disobeying these rules might mean that the monkey turns aggressive towards you – remember they are not in a cage!

The park rangers however not only watch the monkeys – they also watch the humans and they watch out for people disobeying the rules. Do not feed the monkeys outside the human cage. 

Watch your kids with the Monkeys. They are unpredictable. Make sure your kids don’t accidentally get too close or accidentally step on one. They can bite to defend themselves.

4. Feeding the Monkeys! They prefer fruit

Once you get to the top of the hill you can feed the monkeys. There is a little ‘hut/enclosure’ where the humans are enclosed in a ‘cage’ and you can feed the monkeys from inside there. The monkeys remain ‘wild’. I must admit this was an unusual experience for us. Generally the wild animals are in the cage.

The Hut at the top where you can safely feed the monkeys. The Monkeys are wild and come up to the grilled windows.

The monkeys are in general quite friendly and happy to take the food you offer them. For 100 yen you have the choice of apples or peanuts. Just from observing the monkeys they seem to prefer the fruit (apples).

To avoid overfeeding you are only allowed to purchase one bag of food per person. Also, you are only allowed to feed the monkeys food bought from the shop.

I observed many people touching the monkeys when feeding them (touching their hands whilst exchanging food). However, I would not recommend this – the signs say don’t touch them and there are communicable diseases you can get from monkeys, although the monkeys are more likely to get sick from you! There is a basin to use hand sanitiser and to wash your hands afterwards. 

This was a fun and enjoyable experience. You get up close to the monkeys and feed them through a cage – and you are totally safe inside. As you are feeding them, you actually form a bond with them as you are connecting over the food. Some Monkeys have preferences, some monkeys fight, some are gentle, some are very fussy with food (even to the extent of knocking the peanuts away as they want the fruit!). It is great to be up close with the monkeys. This was 11 y.o daughter A.J’s favourite experience on our holiday – until we went to Nara Deer park where there were even friendlier animals.

We probably spent about 2 hours at the top of the mountain, and then walked down. It is not strenuous walking down, just steep the entire way. You climb down a different pathway for part of the way back down.

Feeding the Monkeys Peanuts

5. Restrooms?

There is a rest room at the top of the mountain and at the entrance to the park.

6. Can I see baby monkeys?

Yes, babies are there from April to June. The Park rangers  document all the babies that are born.

Baby Monkeys are around April until June

We really enjoyed our day at the Iwatayama Monkey Park. The scenery was superb – very green with a breathtaking view over Kyoto. It was a very interesting experience feeding the monkeys – getting acquainted with a few and finding yes, they really do prefer the fruit. Prior to the Monkey Park we explored the Bamboo Forest which I definitely recommend. 

After we finished at the Monkey Park we went to explore the town of Arashiyama. Arashiyama is a very scenic little town – full of Kimono shops and very interesting places to eat. There is also a Kimono Forest – a free attraction at Randen Arashiyama Station. 

Although I had read about this place – we literally stumbled across it! There are around 600 pillars of Kimono that are in the Kimono forest. The Kimono forest looks better at night in photos, but it was definitely worth a look. The place is lit up after sunset nightly. There is also a dragon fountain midway which is guardian of the station.

The Kimono Forest is right next door to a train station!

Downtown Arashiyama

I hope you enjoyed reading about my tips for visiting Kyoto's Monkey Park. If you would like to comment please do so in Comments as I would love to hear about your experiences and or feedback.

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Until next week,
KJ

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