Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama

Daniel Martínez in the last week

Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama - I had high expectations for this place, but it fell a bit short. The trek from the metro station is about 25 minutes, followed by another 20-25 minutes uphill – quite exhausting. If you're keen on seeing some monkeys and feeding them, it's okay, but it wasn't really my thing. The view was nice, you could see the whole city, though. Overall, the hike up and down didn't quite justify the visit for me. If your on a short schedule skip it!

Jessie Lucas 3 weeks ago

Gorgeous 20 minute walk up stairs and switchback mild hiking, passing beautiful mossy rocks but don't worry, there are many benches where you can rest and enjoy the view. The roots and trees give you many photo ops, especially if it's raining. A macaque or two might walk past you as you walk up to the main feeding area. You have the option to pay 100¥ for peanuts or apples. There is an area with a cage you can place the food for the macaques to pick up and eat. Some may be calm, others may be aggressive, but most are so used to humans feeding them they just put their hands out for food, pop it in their mouths, and ask for more. The cage is not super well lit so expect your photos to be mostly cute, furry silhouette of monkeys. There's a wood stove for heat so if it's raining or snowing you'll be able to warm up. When you're done feeding, walk up the stairs behind the cage and enjoy the monkeys in trees, cuddling and grooming in the brush, or just taking a nap. They are really fun to observe so bring a camera or sketch book. Rules for not getting your beautiful face bitten: Don't feed them unless you're in the feeding zone, don't crouch down, don't keep sustained eye contact, keep 3 meters away if you can help it. Note: this is a lovely place to bring kids. It is NOT wheelchair or handicap accessible, I'm sorry.

Rathida Oum 3 weeks ago

I went to visit the Monkey Park in Arashiyama in January and it was the most wonderful experience I had there. I highly recommend to wear good comfortable sneakers as you will be hiking up the stairs and hill just to get to the park where the Macaques are. It took a good 20-25 mins hike but totally worth it. Once you reach the top, you have the most amazing view of nature and the town. The Macaques roam freely and if you want to feed them, there is a small ground floor building that you go inside and pay 100 yen for a small bag of food. Your choices are chestnuts, peanuts, or pieces of apples. You can only feed the Macaques inside as they have window guards everywhere. I highly recommend this place to visit.

Freya Whiting a month ago

Best $6 I have ever spent! I LOVED this monkey park and could have spent all day there feeding and watching the monkeys play and interact. It was a fairly hard hike to the top of the mountain so you need to be reasonably fit but wow! The views are also incredible 😍

Food Boss a month ago

One of the better things to do at Arashiyama and it is less crowded than the Bamboo forest. It is quite a hike uphill to the Monkey Park but I saw an elderly couple walking up slowly so you should be able to do so as well. The hike up is well worth the time and effort. You get a breathtaking view at the top, and the monkeys are fun to watch. I was surprised we could get so close to the monkeys. They are quite used to having people around, and will leave you alone as long as you obey the rules posted all over the park. You can buy peanuts to feed them. A fun place!