Are you planning to visit the Monkey Park in Arashiyama?
Here are important things you should know if will visit with a baby or kids in tow!
Our hotel was luckily located just on the river near the ticket gate to the Monkey Park, so on our last day we decided to go there to see the monkeys!
Points to consider:
- Not stroller friendly
The monkeys are actually at the top of the mountain!
It takes 20min to walk up the stairs to the top, and it is extremely steep.
So you can’t take your stroller and to be honest I find the steep incline quite dangerous with kids.
My kids are now 7 and 4 years old so they could walk, but I personally wouldn’t have felt comfortable to go up there with a toddler!
2. Afraid of heights
My son is afraid of heights, so I wasn’t even sure if we would be able to walk to the top of the mountain!
My son spent the whole time clutching to my leg and I had to guide him up. I nearly gave up and went back down the mountain!
3. Hygiene
If you are concerned about hygiene (i.e. catching something from the monkeys) then my recommendation would be not to go there.
As I mentioned above, my kids are older now so it was okay, but if they were babies or toddlers I would have felt uncomfortable.
The reason is because the monkeys are wild and can roam free around the park, and actually when we went there some of the monkeys were being aggressive to the tourists and the staff had to chase them away! So if you are worried about this, I would recommend to not go to the park.
Good points:
- Adventure
If you like adventure and your kids like hiking, then you might enjoy walking up the mountain! It is beautiful and the autumn leaves are amazing, so it would be actually a lovely hike in autumn.
2. View
The top of the mountain has an amazing view of Arashiyama and the river down below! If you want to see this mountain view, then it is worth the 20min walk to the top.
3. Feed the monkeys
You can actually feed the monkeys peanuts from inside the hut. See the photos below. This is great if you want your kids to experience getting up and close to the monkeys. My kids were fascinated by their hands!
I hope this helps you to consider the pros and cons and whether to visit the Monkey Park with your baby or kids!
Details:
- Name: Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama
- Address: 61 Arashiyama Nakaoshitachō, Nishikyō-ku, Kyoto
- Website link
- Google map link
Watch the video below! (This is an unlisted video on my YouTube channel for members only)
