Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama

See the Japanese monkey (Nihon-zaru) up close. It’s a rare breed only found in Japan.

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A monkey park in the popular Kyoto tourist area?! Find this hidden nature park where you can enjoy hiking as well as the wild monkeys.
Business Hours
Saturday ( 9:0 AM ~ 4:30 PM )
Sunday ( 9:0 AM ~ 4:30 PM )
Weekdays ( 9:0 AM ~ 4:30 PM )

[close] In case of heavy rain or other inclement weather, the park will be closed
Price
Adult: 550 YEN
Children: 250 YEN
Address
8 Arashiyama Genrokuzancho Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 616-0007
Phone
(075) 872-0950

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About

A wild monkey park with monkeys right up to you  

“There is this sort of place in Kyoto?!” Yes, this is the spot. Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama is a wild monkey park of 6000 sq. m. at Iwatayama in Arashiyama. Currently, there are 120 macaque monkeys residing here. The mountain top where the monkeys congregate is a 15-20 min. walk from the observation level. The path is beautifully maintained, so you can even climb up with your children. There is an exhilarating feeling hiking along the woods. One big difference with the usual zoos is the feeling of distance from the monkeys. At the mountaintop high ground, there are no cages or fences, so the monkeys are right there hovering about. If you are very careful, you can even watch them close up. There is no other place where you can approach wild monkeys this close. Several times a day, park staff come and feed them, so wait around for those times when you want to see a lot of monkeys. At the rest facility on the mountain top, you can also feed them with apples, peanuts, etc. for 100 yen a bag. It’s interesting that here the monkeys are outside while the humans are in the cage. You can enjoy yourself here in any season, but the monkeys’ mating season is from fall to winter so it’s great to see the many monkey babies born in the spring.

A great panoramic view from around the monkey park

After playing a lot with the monkeys, enjoy the great panoramic view from the mountain top. Since there are no tall buildings in the area surrounding the park, you can see across right up to Mt. Hiei. In particular, the view is the best during the seasons of cherry blossoms and fall foliage. There are also coin-operated binoculars so you can use them when you want to get a closer look at the city. At times, the monkeys will come and use them so if you wait around, they may switch with you.

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Reviews

7 years ago
Monkeying around
When I first heard that there was this kind of a park in Kyoto I really wanted to see it. The park is a bit farther away from the city, but nature you see while arriving to the closest station and walking through the small town to where the park starts is a exciting journey itself. The park is located on a small mountain and it is a bit of a climb but that made it for some reason even more worth it. Once up at the Park it was really fun to see the monkeys and to get to feed them, the staff there is also very nice and helpful, they helped us to get a picture with a monkey.
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7 years ago
Monkeys and superb view, the perfect combination
When visiting Kyoto last spring I heard that there was a monkey park up on a mountain. Without any doubt in mind I went to the mountain that had short climb up and arrived at the park. It was very exciting for me, because it was the first time to see sooo many monkeys in one spot at the same time! I loved it! There is also a little hut where you can go inside and buy some fruits to feed to monkeys. This though, can only be done with you inside the hut and sticking your hand outside the hut to feed the monkeys outside. It was still very fun! The place is also recommendable to take beautiful picture of the city of Kyoto.
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9 years ago
Dude, Monkeys.
Best view of Kyoto, no other contenders. Give this place the prize...if there is one. Anyway. This monkey park is located very close to Arashiyama. Once you trek up a slight hill, pay a stranger, and trek up another slightly larger hill, you will reach the monkey park! There is something about wandering around a mountain full of monkeys that makes you think "Wow, this idea sure wouldn't work back home" But somehow it works here, from my experience, tourists don't hassle the monkeys too much. Just don't look them in the eyes or they will try to fight you! (There are actually signs that state this) You can feed the monkeys inside a small wooden building, it's pretty amusing. Would be 5 stars but -1 star for smelling like unwashed monkeys.
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