Minoh falls looping course via Katsuoji
Today it was supposed to rain, so I picked a hike that would have multiple opportunities to pull the pin if the rain became too heavy. It did not rain at all.
I went somewhere I have been before, Minoh falls, then I went via a longer excellent hiking route to Katsuoji, and then I cut back through the forest on another excellent lonely trail to Minoh-Kayano station.
If you are looking for more info on Minoh falls, you might want to check for the various spellings it might use, such as Minoo, Minou and Mino-o.
Now for the stats -
14.17km - including a couple of km at the end on the road back to the station
4 hours and 12 minutes - I went slow at first
1,097 calories burned
691m vertical ascent - more than I thought
Now for too many photos.
Here is Mino-o station, it is a popular spot for day trips, over 9000 school kids are getting off the train and will follow me up to the waterfall. Yeah, complain about over tourism, and then send (without exaggerating) at least 300 kids on an excursion to the same place.
I think I remember this crazy external lift / elevator hotel entrance from the last time I was here.
The path up to Minoh falls is paved, and goes past many little shops and cafes.
There is also an insect museum, unfortunately the school group did not stop there.
The red bridge is falling down.
Nice view of the stream below.
More green view, not many blossoms along the path up to the waterfall, but stay tuned.
Red bridge and a waterfall.
Behold, the waterfall. I managed to get a shot without other people, but the school group was fast approaching! I fled in terror.
After walking out of the ravine, I walked along the road a bit, on the left here is a bit of covered road in case of landslides. Colours very subdued today due to the grey skies.
After maybe 300m of road, the real hike starts. Go right up the stairs.
It was a really nice trail.
It crosses the road at one point, where they have placed a public toilet. There was no one around. On the trail parts of this hike I saw only one other person all day.
Lots of steps.
Another spot where you have to cross the road.
From the bridge you can see a nearby dam. It looks like a gravel car parking area but is actually a dam wall.
The trail then got excellent for a while.
There was a fully landscaped grave at the top, in the middle of nowhere.
More excellent rocks.
Bear fence, that can mean only one thing, I am approaching Katsuoji temple.
I descended down into the temple area.
Nice, last time I was here I had the place to myself and it was still under construction, now it is a major tourist attraction with lots of bus tours.
This woman was live streaming (in English), smash that like button etc.
The photos today look crap for some reason.
Even the blossoms look subdued.
Since I am doing this in reverse, here is the way up to the temple that I came down.
This place is so touristy they have fog machines under the bridge.
More blossoms and a geyser.
I think I took too many temple photos.
OK last one, those little statues litter the whole area, also it seems you are supposed to buy a postcard and stamp it at various spots, I did not.
Instead I crossed the road to join the last third of my hike.
The first part is a long staircase, but after that it was downhill for the rest of the journey.
The trail down was a nice lonely mini ravine.
I exited the trail into suburbia.
And finally, I arrived back at Minoh-Kayano station, which is also a giant Q-mall.
So I turned a stroll up to the waterfall into a decent hike, because the threat of rain never materialised.
Umeda and Yodobashi
It did not rain on my hike earlier but it is certainly raining now, and that is fine with me.
To celebrate the rain I went to Umeda, which is the main city centre, but less touristy than where I am staying at Namba. It is filled with with covered overpasses and underground shopping areas, so I never had to go 'outside'.
Perfect then I guess.
Anyway, this is my last night in Osaka, and I feel as though I was a night short, probably because when I flew in I arrived at midnight and so that night did not really count. It is a great city at night, but there is not a lot of good hiking nearby, so for that reason, Tokyo is better.
Tomorrow I leave Osaka and take a 4 hour bullet train all the way to the very South Western tip of the main part of Japan, at Kagoshima. I have not been there before. There is a volcano there, you are not allowed to climb it.
I exited the subway at Umeda, and it was now indeed raining. To the overpasses!
A view from an overpass. That is Osaka station, but that is NOT the bullet train station, it is mainly a shopping mall, the bullet train station is north of here at Shin-Osaka, I will go there tomorrow.
I like the reflective roads.
Next I headed down under the tracks, and peered into a bunch of stand up drinking and eating establishments, who had no desire for a weird looking round eye to wander in whatsoever, especially since I do not drink, and am carrying a camera.
Time to head into the Yodobashi electronics store. I have been here a few times before, it is overwhelming, tonight I looked at clocks, and one other weird thing you will see below. I only look at things I have zero interest in buying.
For my dinner I thought I would have Okonomiyaki, the Yodobashi has multiple food floors and probably 40 restaurants to choose from. Once I got to the Okonomiyaki I decided I was not hungry enough for the whole experience, so instead I went to a 'Thai' place and ordered something with kim chi. Yes, you read that right. It was quite delicious.
And then I made my way down 8 levels of electronics store, and this took my eye. These are not wheels, the wheel looking things are foam, that you mount a fancy watch on. These things are robot and car looking constructions, for between about $268 and $792, that you mount a watch on, the watch is not included.
Now I will spend 5 minutes to pack my bag for my train ride tomorrow.