Osaka, Japan 2014: Minoh Park

I’m back from a 4-day sojourn in beautiful Coron! Still recovering, actually. My first day back at work was spent mostly in a daze because I just wanted to go and curl off to sleep. 🙂 I haven’t even downloaded all the photos I’ve taken from my camera! Still in denial, I suppose. Before I do, however, I have to clear some things off my long backlog for this blog, and one of them is about my visit to Minoh Park, which I consider to be one of the highlights of my Osaka stop.

Our last day in Osaka, we decided to spend the morning at Minoh Park. So we checked out of our Guesthouse, went to Shin-Osaka station and stowed our luggage in their coin lockers, had a quick breakfast at McDonald’s (because it was the only place open at 8am).

From Shin-Osaka, we took the JR Kyoto Line Rapid Service train to Osaka Station. From there, we walked to the Umeda (Hankyu) station and took the Hankyu Takarazuka Line Express train to Ishibashi (Osaka), where we made the final transfer on the Hankyu Minoo Line. We finally arrived at the Minoo Station 40 minutes after boarding the train from Shin-Osaka. Total fare amounted to 430yen.

The Minoo Station is the last stop, so there’s the train departing once again after all passengers have disembarked.

And so we began the long walk. There were already a lot of people headed towards somewhere. We really did not have to consult any maps or signages, because everyone’s headed towards one direction, and we know they’re going the same way we are. So we just went with the flow.

We also noticed a lot of elderly people, in hiking gear, going there. This must be a regular Sunday thing for them.

Minoh Park, also known as Minoo Park, is one of the oldest national parks in all of Japan. The whole park – which is estimated to be 963 hectares of forested grounds and woodlands – is situated on Mt. Minoh.

Located in the outskirts of Osaka, it is a favorite, even among the locals, for when they want to escape the city and commune with nature without having to go very far. In fall, particularly during the second half of November, the place bursts with autumn colours, which is one of the reasons why people flock to this place to view it.

If we’re going to be really precise about it, its complete name is Meji no Mori Minoo Quasi-National Park, granted its quasi-national park status back in 1967. However, it has already been opened to the public as an Osaka Prefectural Park in 1898.

The highlight is probably the endpoint, which is the Minoh Waterfall. Getting there takes around 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your pace. And the state of your feet. And your shoes. It’s almost a 3km walk from the station, after all.

But part of the fun of the hike is seeing everything that you will pass by on the trail. If you are worried that you are out of shape, or that you are not really a hiker, fret not. The Minoh Takimichi or Minoh Paved Trail is exactly that: paved. There are no slippery slopes or inclines. It’s uphill, but in a gentle sloping way, so there’s nothing drastic about it.

So, let’s start, shall we?

You know I was having so much fun just with the number of photos I took. Image-heavy post is image-heavy, so I apologize in advance. You would not believe how it pained me to remove some pics out.

The paved trail starts in what would seem like a residential area, with shops selling souvenirs and other knick-knacks. But already you’d see trees displaying autumn colours, and this made me even more excited.

Just past the Minoh Spa (a large quaint-looking building with spa staff in uniform standing outside inviting everyone to try their foot massages) is a bridge, with this sign beside it. You’ll spot many buildings on the first half of the trail and they are mostly restos and dining places.

And so we begin the walk through the 2-km gorge. On one side is the mountain, the other side is the Minoo River… and above you are red maples in its beautiful autumn colours.

Imagine taking a walk in this place every morning. Ah~ Bliss~

This is another attraction you will come across. The Minoh Park Insects Museum. We decided to pass on it, though, because we were more keen on getting to the waterfall.Time check: 9:35am. We just started from the Minoo Station 10 minutes ago. 20 to 30 minutes more to go.A bit further on, you’ll pass by these temples, marked by a red curved bridge. Across the river are shaded areas with red lanterns.I’m guessing these monkeys represent the “see no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil” philosophy?

Speaking of monkeys, they also happen to be inhabitants of the park, so you are bound to spot some of them up in the trees. When we were there, they were absent, though. Must be because it was still quite early.Just across the red bridge is the Ryu-an-ji, or the Ryu-an Temple, one of the oldest temples in Japan of the Shugen-do religious sect. This mountain worship sect is known to combine elements of Buddhism, Shintoism and Taoism in its worship. Another name for Ryu-an-ji is Tomi-ku-ji, or Prosperity Temple.Aside from Japanese (red) maple trees, you will also spot Japanese cedar, cypress and cherry trees. I’m not an expert on tress, so I’ll just take other people’s word for it. In some areas selling food, we saw there were maple leaves fried in tempura batter. They call it momiji tempura. We didn’t try it, though, and my friend (who’s from Canada) was feeling dubious about it.Finally, at the end of the trail, you’ll arrive at the Minoh Waterfall. There was already a considerable crowd when we arrived, so they must have gotten the earliest train to get here.

There is a bridge right in front of the waterfall, where people flock to take photos. The waterfall is 33m high. Not the biggest I’ve seen (I’ve seen higher and more “powerful” ones back home) but the overall setting, awash with autumn colors… it’s so serene. It’s perfect.

On the right side are benches, right in front of the cascade, where you could sit down and watch while letting some spray wash over you.

There was also another structure off the right side of the waterfall where you can get up to the second level to get another angle. We went up there for a bit.

And then we decided to go back down and wrestle for space in front of the benches, close to the cascade.

Unfortunately, you cannot go any closer than the viewing area. No bathing allowed, no stepping on the pristine waters. Although, you’d probably be stupid to do so in late November, when winter’s almost at hand.

After hanging out around the place for 15 to 20 minutes, we checked out the food stalls and kiosks. Mochi-dango, anyone? I channeled my inner RuroKen (Rurouni Kenshin) fangirl and bought one, then went “Ororo?”. Haha!There were also nigiri (or rice balls… or should I say rice triangles?) perfect for those who haven’t had breakfast yet.

As we started the walk back, we had more time to check out the offerings in the various food stalls and kiosks. Like this one, for example.

These are yomogi-anko, or mochi with red bean (azuki) filling.

Just before we got back to the temple area, there was this line of food stalls.

An ojisan busy whipping up yakisoba.

I’ve only ever seen these in dramas, animes and mangas when teens go to festivals and the young ladies in kimonos and yukatas eat them. They are called ringo-ame or candied/sweetened apples. As the name implies, they are candy- or sweets-coated small apples.

We got one, and it took ages for me to lick through the sweet candy coating and get to the apple beneath it. Blame that on my non-sweet tooth. I kept fearing for my laryngitis while licking it clean, but to hell with it, I’m in JAPAN, BABY!

Here we had to try this. Taiyaki, or fish-shaped cakes. There were two options available. One with azuki filling, and the other with custard. We decided to go for the custard-filled one because, as much as I loved azuki, you gotta try other offerings, too.

There were still more people coming in while we were leaving the place. Families, couples, solo hikers, groups of kids… there were even little boys wearing scout uniforms.

There were several yaki-pon stalls selling roasted chestnuts. I was more fascinated by the mechanics than by the chestnuts. 🙂 See that contraption on the left? It’s for instant roasting. They pour the chestnuts inside, then switch something on, and you’ll hear a grinding sound….…smoke will come out, and the air will be filled with the aroma of chestnuts roasting. No need for open fire in here!

You would think I got my fill of the place when we were hiking towards the Waterfall, but the hike back to the station was just as mesmerizing. Especially now that the sun is high up and shining on pretty much everything, making the colours even more vivid.

This is definitely one of my favorite places among the spots I visited in Osaka during my short stay there. I guess it’s the nature-lover in me… but mix that with a bit of history and culture, and I’m totally sold.

If you love nature and you are up for something physical, add Minoh Park to your Osaka itinerary. This is definitely one of the places I’d love to go back to over and over.