Minoh Falls

We arrived in Osaka right in the middle of Obon, and wherever we went in the city it was packed. So we decided to head north instead, to Minoh, for a light hike with the kid and somewhere cooler to spend the day. Getting to Katsuo-ji From Umeda, take the Midosuji subway line to Minoh-Kayano Station. From there, switch to the number 30 bus, which goes directly to Katsuo-ji Temple. One way is 800 yen, IC card or cash. If you're planning to continue on to the falls afterward rather than coming back the same way, there's no need to buy a return fare. Katsuo-ji Temple Katsuo-ji takes about 40 minutes to an hour to see properly. There are daruma dolls everywhere, and it's an easy place to take photos. You can request a daruma to pray over for good luck. Staff hand out a postcard at the entrance for a stamp rally, six checkpoints spread around the grounds, all easy to find. Once you've collected all six stamps, they form a daruma image. My kid was genuinely into it. Near the entrance there's also daruma-shaped taiyaki for sale. Japanese tourist spots really know what they're doing. Down to the Falls Leaving Katsuo-ji, we took a taxi straight to the falls, which cost 1,400 yen. Walking instead means following the mountain road down for a bit over 2 kilometres, and it felt a little unsafe to me, since the road actually gets a fair amount of car traffic. There's also a trail running straight down to the falls from the car park next to the waterfall. It's sloped the whole way, with some steeper sections, but coming from the Katsuo-ji side is the easier route overall, less effort. If you'd rather walk the whole way from Katsuo-ji instead of taking a taxi: turn right after leaving the temple and follow the mountain road, around 40 to 50 minutes to reach the falls. The scenery along the way is nice, and it's easy to imagine the whole hillside turning red with maple leaves in autumn. The Falls, and the Detour That Took Over the Afternoon Minoh Falls itself doesn't compare to the big waterfalls back home, but it's genuinely cool and refreshing, which matters a lot on a hot day. After seeing the falls, my kid wouldn't stop asking to wade in the river. I'd read a few posts from other travellers mentioning a flat, calm stretch further down the mountain where you could get in the water. We kept walking along the path until we reached the sign for Jigokudani, took the side path at that fork, walked down about 50 metres, crossed a red bridge that turned out to be really pretty, and came out at a shallow spot in the river. We stayed there a long time, long enough to miss the closing times for both the insect museum and the Yamamoto coffee shop. One thing to note for the way out: the station you exit near is Minoh Station, on the Hankyu line, which is a different station from Minoh-Kayano where you started. Don't assume you're coming back to the same stop. From the falls, you can keep walking down the mountain and come out directly at Minoh Station. The whole day came to about 20,000 steps. About Minoh Park Minoh Park is one long mountain road, running from Ryuan-ji Temple at the start, past the insect museum partway through, to Minoh Falls at the far end. Deeper in near the falls there's a spot with a red wooden bridge, maple trees, and the waterfall all in one frame, especially good for photos in autumn or on a rainy day, and it's cool and comfortable even in summer. The park also sells local Minoh specialties, maple leaf tempura and small grilled fish. Beyond the main road there are a lot of hidden side paths too, which gives the whole place a bit of an exploring feel. Walking the whole route plus stopping for photos takes about 2 hours.