Riding Japan's Most Luxurious Bullet Train (to visit snow monkeys)

We traveled from Hakodate to Tokyo and Nagano, trying economy, Green Class, and the luxurious Grand Class on Japan’s bullet trains. We explored the train amenities, compared the different seats and fares, and navigated several connections without the JR Pass. We stayed at our first traditional ryokan, experienced its baths and breakfast, and hiked to see the snow monkeys relaxing in the hot springs.