Tokyo-Jigokudani-Takayama too ambitious?

Hello,

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and help offered!

We are off on our honeymoon soon with 14 days in beautiful Japan early April .

Tokyo we have 5 days and on the last day planning to go stay one night in Takayama on the way to Kyoto. I really want to see the Jigokudani snow monkey's so am wondering if we can/should on the day travelling to Takayama go via the monkey park or just make it a day trip from Tokyo itself.

We have JR passes and I think can get there with these?

Thanks all!

It would be doable. But you'd arrive at Takayama quite late in the day. So you'd probably want 2 night in Takayama.

I'd persobally just do it as a day trip from Tokyo. Much more slower.

If you mostly want to rely on JR (The train to Yudanaka from Nagano is a private line and then I believe you need to take a bus to the actual park from Yudanaka) you have to leave Yudanaka on the 14:02 if you want to make it to Takayama before 19:00, otherwise you're going to be getting in closer to 21:45 because there are just limited trains between Toyama and Takayama. The 17:13 is the last Hida of the day between Toyama and Takayama and there are only a limited number of local trains that do the whole route. The Nagoya to Takayama route has more train options in general.

Good luck!

I would also look up how many monekys are really expected there in April. It might be mating seasons or something and they might be up in the mountains.

April is not mating season - that is November.
Getting the train from Nagano and then a bus from Yudanaka is more tedious than just getting the direct express bus.
Consider staying in Nagano over-night otherwise it would be a long day-trip (doable), or a longer journey to Takayama. You can also chose the route to Matsumoto and the scenic trip to Takayama from there. I find two nights in Takayama is good.