Minoh Park, from Osaka

The walk to the falls

A single well-maintained trail follows a river upstream from Minoh's town centre to Minoh Falls, a 33-metre drop that's the park's centrepiece, taking about 40 minutes each way at an easy walking pace. The path is paved and gently graded for most of its length, making it accessible without any real hiking experience or gear.

Momiji tempura

Stalls along the trail sell the area's signature snack: momiji tempura, maple leaves that are salted, lightly sugared and deep-fried whole. It's a genuinely local speciality rather than a tourist invention, and one of the more unusual foods worth trying on a day trip from the city.

Wild monkeys and getting there

Minoh is also known for a resident population of wild Japanese macaques, occasionally visible from the trail, though feeding them is discouraged and actively deterred by park signage. The park is reached via the Hankyu Railway to Minoh Station, followed by the walk in, with a total door-to-door journey from central Osaka of well under an hour.