Osaka to Minoh Park and Minoh Falls day trip: the perfect Osaka day trip to see autumn colours

The best day trips from Osaka are well documented, but I think this Osaka to Minoh Park/Minoo Park day trip is one of my favourites thanks to how easy it is to get there, it’s free to enter the park and it’s beautiful!

I’m going to share my Osaka to Minoo Park day trip which we did to visit Minoh Falls and to see the autumn foliage. You could spend a full day here on the walking trails if you wanted to. We only left Osaka around 11am and spent most of the afternoon here before heading back to Osaka for dinner. It was a great addition to our Osaka itinerary.

I’ll include how to get to Minoh Park from Osaka and the best things to do in Minoh Park while you’re there.

Note: Minoh and Minoo are used interchangeably here.

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A large waterfall surrounded by colourful red and yellow leaved trees during autumn — Minoh Falls

Where is Minoh Park?

Minoh Park is located directly north of Osaka city, around 40-45 minutes drive from the centre of Osaka or 45 minutes to 1 hour on public transport depending on where you start from in Osaka.

Minoh Park is a national park, famous for its fall foliage and the Minoh Falls which is 33m tall. It’s also home to many walking trails and a Buddhist temple.

Helana in green standing on a red bridge with a large traditional Japanese white and orange building behind her during autumn — Minoh Park

How to get to Minoh Park from Osaka

Assuming you’re taking public transport to get to Minoo Park from Osaka, there are two main ways to get there.

1. From Osaka-Umeda station, take the Takarazuka Main Line 4 stops, then change at Ishibashi Handai-Mae Station and ride 3 more stops on the Hankyu Takarazuka Line to Mino-o Station. This takes around 30 minutes and costs 280 yen.

2. Take the Midosuji Line which is available from Namba Station, Shinsaibashi Station, Yodoyabashi Station, Umeda Station and Shin-Osaka Station. Ride this train to Minoh-kayano Station then take the bus Saito Line 23 for 6 stops to Hankyu Minoh Station. Depending on which station you get on at, this can take up to 1 hour and costs 750 yen per person, one way.

For us, we did option two as we were staying in Nipponbashi Town and Namba Station was our nearest stop.

The Midosuji Line is most likely the best option for you if you’re staying in the centre of Osaka in one of the popular areas such as Namba, Shinsaibashi or Umeda - this line stops at them all. But if you’re staying close to Osaka-Umeda Station then option 1 will be easier.

Entrance to Minoh Park is free and it’s just a short walk to the park from the station (following Google Maps will get you there).

Visiting Minoh Park for autumn foliage

Minoh Park is one of the best places to see autumn leaves near Osaka and the best time to see autumn colours in the park is usually from mid-November to late-November or early December.

We visited on the 7th December and we were maybe a couple of days too late, there were still plenty of autumn colours but a lot of trees were mostly brown by this stage so if you want the more vibrant colours I’d recommend visiting in the second half of November.

In the autumn you’ll also be able to try the famous momiji tempura, deep-fried maple leaves, which are common in Minoh.

Best things to do in Minoh Park: How to spend the day in Minoo

Eat Momiji Tempura

Momiji Tempura (deep fried maple leaves) is a specialty in Minoh City, Osaka so of course you need to try this if you’re visiting Minoh Park!

Momiji Tempura is young, yellow maple leaves which are picked from the autumn foliage, salted and then they cover them in batter and flash fry them to make them dark and crispy. Apparently this unique snack has been around since the early 1900s!

You’ll need to visit during autumn to try the famous momiji tempura and it’s definitely a fun autumnal activity, although I will say they don’t taste of much, you don’t really taste the leaves at all, mostly just the slight sweetness of the batter.

You’ll find the vendors selling momiji tempura on the road that leads from the train station to the Minoh Park trail.

I will say, these vendors were pretty grouchy, I had my phone in my hand while I ordered and got shouted at to not take pictures - there’s a sign clearly saying “no photos” and my phone was in my hand, locked, screen off, so not really sure what their problem was - I was buying their product!

That being said, the momiji tempura in Minoh are a fun experience if you’re visiting Minoh Park in autumn.

A hand holding a golden brown coloured fried maple leaf — Momiji Tempura

Follow the Minoh Park walking trail along the river

Once you’re in the park, just follow the winding trail along the river. The path is paved and well-maintained and it’s the perfect easy stroll to enjoy peaceful nature!

If you’re visiting in autumn, you’ll see much of the autumn foliage just from walking along this path, but I’d imagine in the spring and summer is also vibrantly lush and green, with the sounds of the river trickling along beside you.

There are lots of stops along the way too, temples to explore, statues and small shrines to check out, small vendors selling snacks, observation points to take a short detour to - just enjoy your stroll - it took us around 45 minutes to walk from the entrance to Minoh falls but that was with a stop at the temple and lots of pictures!

Visit Ryuan-ji, the Buddhist Temple in Minoh Park

The Ryuan-ji Temple is right along the path as you’re following it along the river and it’s free to go inside the grounds.

It’s a peaceful spot and there’s a set of mossy steps which are very photogenic and a red bridge at the front which are both beautiful photo spots.

The stairs lead to the Hall and there’s a statue of Ryuanji Benzaiten. In the temple you’ll also find fortune slips and you can get a Goshuin stamp too.

The large open area of a temple with stone pathways and traditional Japanese building's. A red bridge and tree coved hills are in the background — Ryuanji Temple

See the Minoh Park Insectarium

A little quirky…

But there’s actually an insect museum of zoology and a butterfly garden inside Minoh Park!

It’s close to the temple and about 10 minutes into the park from the start of the trail.

The museum is full of incredible bugs, insects and butterflies which are extensive and some of them are huge!

For only 280 yen this is well worth a stop!

Stop for coffee or a quick bite among the trees

We saw a couple of super cute cafes on the Minoh Park trail, I wish we had time to stop at them all!

We stopped at Yamamoto Coffee-kan which is a cute little hut with outdoor seating, nestled in the trees, with the canopy of colourful leaves above you. It really is a stunning spot.

I also took a picture of this gorgeous restaurant on the rocky side of the river which looked stunning but was unfortunately closed during our visit, it’s called Isoyoshi Kawadoko.

A path leading to a café with white outdoor seating surrounded by green and yellow trees during autumn — Minoh Café

Walk up to the Observation Deck

We actually didn’t do this as I had a dodgy ankle at the tip and the steps are A LOT.

But you can cross the stone bridge and take the stairs up to this viewpoint that looks out across the hills, the valley and see the city and Osaka Bay in the distance. You can also see planes taking off from Osaka Itami Airport.

However reviews say that it’s a 15-20 minute uphill climb with uneven stairs - so be warned!

See the stunning Minoh Falls

Minoh Waterfall is of course the main attraction!

You’ll reach Minoh Falls at the end of the trail, a 33 metre drop waterfall into a pool surrounded by rocky cliffs and vibrant leaves. In the autumn it is especially stunning with the yellow and red leaves framing the falls and the rock face.

It definitely gets busy down here during autumn season though, I’ve seen photos of people visiting during other times of year and it’s much quieter!

The setting is beautiful, there’s a couple of souvenir/food vendor stores, benches to sit and enjoy the view or have a picnic, and public toilet facilities.

A large waterfall falling into a clear pool of water surrounded by colourful autumn trees — Minoh Falls

Try food vendors along the way

I know I’ve already mentioned momiji tempura, coffee shops and restaurants but we also found a couple of food vendors along the way, my favourite being Taiyaki - the Japanese fish-shaped cake filled with red bean - I LOVE IT!

We also found a couple of vending machines with warm corn soup (my husband’s favourite vending machine snack) and I had to take a picture of this vending machine which has oyster risotto and mushroom risotto in cans - warm and ready to eat! Japan really offers it all!

A large dark traditional Japanese building on the edge on a pathway surrounded by trees — Minoh Park shop

Stop for souvenirs in Minoo on your way home

There are a couple of spots close to the park entrance where you can buy small souvenirs and the road from the train station up to the park entrance also has loads of cute shops and stores that were super cute!

Try a local beer at Derailleur Brew Taproom next to the station

We had a little bit of time to kill before our train and if you’ve read any of my blog posts before then you’ll know I’m a craft beer fan and always look for independent craft breweries and taprooms on my travels (support local and always lots of great conversations with locals!)

Right outside Mino-o Station is the Derailleur Brew Taproom where we had a couple of great beers and chatted to the lovely woman working behind the bar. They’re a microbrewery with 10 craft beers and they also have fresh coffee, freshly baked bread and some super cute merch!

One amber and one yellow coloured beer in plastic cups on a light wooden table inside a taproom — Derailleur Taproom

Visit Katsuoji Temple

This is a little further away and not in the Minoh area, but Katsuoji temple is becoming more popular thanks to social media and is famous for its stacks of Daruma dolls which are symbols of luck in Japan.

If you want to get from Minoh Falls to Katsuoji Temple, you have three options:

Walk - this takes around 1 hour from the falls but is along a main road so please take caution
Take a taxi, this is probably the easiest and most direct route. I would take a taxi from Mino-o Station which costs around 3,000 yen
Take the bus, this is the most popular route leaving from Minoh-Kayano Station to Katsuo-ji Temple which takes 25 minutes. There’s two buses every hour on weekdays and 3 every hour on weekends. Leaving from bus stop stand 8 and costs 800 yen one way. Find the timetable here.

The temple itself costs 500 yen to visit and is an oasis tucked away in the hills above Osaka.

The temple dates back to the year 765 and has long been considered a temple of luck. You can even buy one of the Daruma dolls while you’re there.

Summary: visiting Minoh Park and Minoo Waterfall from Osaka

While autumn is the most popular time to visit, a day trip to Minoh Park from Osaka is worth it at any time of year to experience a real contrast between the busy, bright lights of the city and the peaceful, lush nature out in the hills.

Minoh Falls and Minoh Park really are beautiful and even better that they’re free to visit, making it a really affordable day trip from Osaka too.

I hope you enjoy your trip!