Minoh Waterfall or Minoo Waterfall (Minoo-taki [箕面滝])

The Minoh Waterfall (Minoo-taki [箕面滝]; also called Minoh Falls or Minoo Falls as well as Mino-o Falls) was a waterfall that I anticipated visiting ever since a website visitor made a very well-written submission about it a few years ago. This was especially the case because it was near Osaka so there was definitely public transportation options to get here (though we wound up self driving here). Thus, this was quite a popular waterfall, and there was certainly the infrastructure to support a lot of visitors. The popularity of the waterfall was well-earned as it was said to be 33m tall and 5m wide. We happened to catch it on a sunny day at a time when a rainbow was present at its base. Perhaps the only thing keeping this waterfall experience from being really special was that we were probably a few weeks too early for the peak of the koyo (or Autumn colors) as our visit took place in late October. Nevertheless, we had a pleasant experience, and I can definitely see myself coming back here on a return trip, especially since this was a family-friendly hike (more like a stroll) so I can easily envision bringing our daughter here if we’re fortunate to be back in the Osaka area.

The Minoh Waterfall was said to be documented as far back as the Asuka Era from 592-710 AD. Apparently in the historical records, En-No-Gyoja (who founded Shugendou, which was an ancient practice of Japanese meditation and worshipping in the mountains for attaining enlightenment) had been a frequent meditator at the falls since he was age 19. He apparently built the neighboring temples like the Ryuanji (downstream of the Minoh Falls) and Saikouji (upstream of the Minoh Falls) as venues for his Shugendou. We didn’t get a chance to visit neither of these temples upon our visit here, but in a future visit, we’d definitely take the time to check them out, especially if making our visit by mass transit.

Anyways, our visit began from a car park further upstream from the Minoh Waterfall along the Route 43 within the mountains just north of Minoh City (see directions below). We then walked back in the downstream direction (more downhill) along the Route 43, which skirted the Minoh River or (Minogawa). There appeared to be a closed off trail on the other side of the river, and I suspected that it might have been damaged from flood or landslides in the past. In any case, we continued walking along the road as it curved towards the south and passed by a short road tunnel before reaching a descending paved ramp some 300m from the nearest car park. Between the tunnel and the descending ramp, we managed to get a partial glimpse of the Minoh Waterfall but it left us wanting more so we hastened our steps down the ramp to reach its base.

Towards the bottom of the descent, there was a “shortcut” bypassing the last switchback that went down some steps and eventually rejoining the wider paved path alongside the Minogawa. Had we continued along the final switchback, the path would have gone further downstream before following the river back up to where the “shortcut” ended. The reason why that last switchback would be a sensible option for some visitors was that there were lots of families involving people pushing strollers carrying toddlers as well as wheelchairs for those needing assistance. Just another 150m or so further upstream (passing by some shops and cafes), we found ourselves before the impressive Minoh Waterfall.

We managed to get decent views from a red-railed bridge over the Minogawa as well as a viewing area closer to the base of the falls where lots of benches were arranged as if the falls was the pulpit to a cathedral. The view of the uppermost part of the falls seemed like it was partially blocked by foliage so we were never able to get a completely clean view. It appeared that the walking path continued further well downstream of the falls on the other side of the Minogawa, which appeared to go past some more shops and cafes. In fact, I wondered if that was the trail that would ultimately make it back to the Mino Station another 3km or so away. In any case, we wound up spending about an hour away from the car as the short walk was on the order of 1.6km round trip. Clearly, the walking would be substantially longer had we taken the more atmospheric public transportion option.

While we didn’t see any during our visit, apparently the Minoh Falls can be visited by local monkeys. For being so close to a major metropolitan city in Osaka, I’d imagine that they have also become acclimated to humans so perhaps they might be a bit on the demanding (or aggressive) side should an encounter occur, especially once they’ve had a taste of high energy human food.