Crowded Again at Minoh Waterfall [SPOT REPORT]

Above photo is not the main waterfall, but one we call Minoh Shotaki (small waterfall) as a joke.

Sunday November 27th was beautiful and sunny, and possibly everyone's last chance to see fall leaves at Minoh Waterfall this season.

It was a vast improvement from my last visit a couple weeks earlier, which was too early for much of a fall leaves viewing. The reason this Sunday was probably the last chance is that for those who work on weekdays, next weekend will not likely be promising. There is a forecast of rain on the 29th and 30th, then it is expected to get much colder. Early morning temps of below five degrees Celsius are usually gonna get the leaves falling off the trees quickly.

That being said, Sunday was stunning, if you could catch a glimpse between the crowds. I have never seen so many people there in the two years since we moved to the area, although coronavirus travel restrictions have recently been lifted. Lots of tourists, maybe locals like me, dogs, and even one cat were in attendance. (As the saying goes, "neko mo, shakushi mo imashita.")

Minoh station had a steady stream of arriving visitors and the momiji tempura shops were selling out. Several of the food trucks had lines as we walked through the park along the path. As you can see in the above photo, it wasn't gonna be easy to get up close and personal with the waterfall, so we didn't try. 

Usually Minoh Ootaki (Waterfall) is considered to be a power spot, but in this season, it may revert to a power-sucking vacuum, because the crowds left us exhausted. It wasn't the usual refreshing experience we were hoping for.

Minoh Waterfall is a three kilometer walk from Minoh Station on the very short Hankyu Minoh line, accessible from Umeda via Juso and Ishibashi Handai Station transfers. It's not difficult to find the road up directly in front of the station gates. It's a paved road with some slope, and if you don't stop at shops too much on the way up, it will take around 40 minutes. There's also a free footbath near the entrance to Minoh Kanko Hotel.