The day before, I only visited one attraction, so I was feeling a bit greedy today—and well-rested—so I planned to visit two. Starting from Osaka, I traveled to the farther city of Minoo, which took about an hour by car to reach Minoo.
Since I had scheduled two very distant spots, I arrived at Minoo before eight. To enjoy the tranquil side of the place, arriving early is really better. This is a very popular spot in Osaka, though for people from Hong Kong or Taiwan, it’s only somewhat known. Most travelers doing a one-week trip around Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe wouldn’t come here—it might take three or four trips to finally make it. But if you want to experience the outskirts of Osaka, it’s worth spending a day here.
Minoo offers a diverse range of attractions—you can go hiking, visit shrines and temples, try local snacks, and even enjoy hot springs. There are also shopping malls and supermarkets near the station area, making it a great place to explore. My reason for coming this time, of course, was to see the autumn leaves. It’s also a popular spot for cherry blossom and autumn leaf viewing.
My route was from the station to Minoo Waterfall. The path is very easy and gentle, mostly slight inclines, covering about 3 kilometers.
After leaving the residential area, you enter the grounds of Minoo Park, where the red leaves along the way are stunningly beautiful.
The calm stream reflects the gorgeous red foliage, and visitors are busy taking photos.
This riverside restaurant “Ishi-yoshi” is seasonal and requires a reservation.
Next, I arrived at Minoo Yamadaki Yasaka Shrine, where the red leaves are the densest.
This is the square in front of the shrine. I took a quiet moment to sit and enjoy the view.
After a short rest, I continued on. Even after leaving the densest red leaf square, the deeper areas were just as beautiful.
A single splash of red among the green is incredibly eye-catching.
After leaving Yasaka Shrine, the area becomes less crowded, and the slope gets steeper, but it’s manageable for most people. Then, when you see a shop, it means you’re close to the waterfall.
Finally, I arrived at Minoo Waterfall. Since the waterfall is located higher up, there were only a few remaining red leaves.
But it’s still nice to admire the waterfall. There’s a small shop nearby, and taking a break isn’t a bad idea either. I personally prefer the area closer to the waterfall for the red leaves.
Tourists gathered here to take photos, trying to capture the last bits of the remaining red leaves. Haha.
After seeing enough, I headed back. Though it’s the same path, the view changes depending on your direction, giving a different feeling.
Finally back at the square, I crossed a small bridge leading to Bōhaiyama Lookout.
The 380 steps, about 400 meters, are quite strenuous to climb. No one was there on the way up, but on the way down, people kept asking me how much further. So, if you’re not in great shape, I wouldn’t really recommend going up.
From the lookout, you can see views of Ikeda City and Kawachi-Nagano City. I sat down there and ate a rice ball I bought from a convenience store. Some hikers were having hot chocolate—it smelled absolutely heavenly, even though the temperature was only around 10°C.
On the way back, I discovered a free foot bath—I must have been too rushed to notice it earlier.
After walking, soaking my feet was incredibly satisfying. It helped relieve the fatigue, and I was ready to head to the next attraction.
Near Minoo Waterfall, you can also try the specialty red leaf tempura (momiji tempura)—it’s sweet but quite greasy.
Minoo Park official website (Japanese): http://www.mino-park.jp/
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Having traveled to over 30 countries/regions, lived in Taiwan for a year and a half, visited 19 counties/cities, spent several months traveling in Japan and visiting all 47 prefectures, worked and traveled in Canada for two months to see the northern lights, enjoys off-the-beaten-path attractions. Travelogues published on sites such as WingOn Travel, U Blog, DC Fever, likeJapan, now.com, and Travel Bar. Open to various forms of collaboration.