Why not go see the 33-meter-high Minoh Great Falls, a 30-minute train ride from Osaka?

▲Image Source: Minoh City Tourism Association

Minoh Great Falls is a popular spot selected as one of the 100 Best Waterfalls in Japan. Around the dynamic Otaki Falls, you can enjoy nature all year round by viewing the fresh green maple leaves in spring and the blazing red leaves in fall. In addition, ryokans, teahouses, and souvenir stores line both sides of the 2.7-km promenade "Takimichi" that leads from the nearest Minoh Station to the waterfall. You can relax and enjoy a moment of peace while relieving the fatigue of your journey while there. Now, let's walk along the actual promenade and introduce the stores on both sides of it!

■The first specialty that Japanese people think of when they think of Minoh is "Momiji Tempura"... "Hisakuni Kosendo Cobeni".

Momiji Tempura is a famous sweet made by hand-picking maple leaves during autumn when the leaves turn red. The leaves are then washed in water and pickled in salt for more than a year before being carefully deep-fried. This is one of the most varied stores selling maple leaf tempura.

・Recommended product 1: Crispy, savory and slightly sweet "Momiji Tempura Kobeni Series"

There are six flavors, including green tea, salt, shichimi (seven different spices), and brown sugar, but we recommend the simple, crispy one named "Traditional Plain". Other seasonal products are also available. The well-designed packaging makes these one-hand foods ideal as souvenirs or snacks for eating while walking around. Each bag costs from 380 to 480 yen (including consumption tax, same as below).

・Recommended item 2 ・・・ a stylish "Momiji Tempura Soft Ice Cream" with Momiji Tempura, 500 yen.

Soft cream mixed with maple leaves as tea. Compared to vanilla flavor, it is less sweet and not too rich. During the season of autumn leaves, more than 200 of it goes on sale a day, so be sure to try this popular item!

▲Each maple leaf is carefully fried and the oil is drained thoroughly to prevent stomach upset.

■Enjoy a meal in a retro building full of the atmosphere of the 1800s... "YUZUYA Hashimototei".
At the open terrace on the grand ground floor, visitors can enjoy sweets made from Minoh's misho yuzu citron (grown on the original citrus tree) and purchase them as souvenirs. At the restaurant on the second floor, You can enjoy authentic French cuisine using carefully selected ingredients as the result of good communication with the producers and the chef.

・Recommended Menu 1 ・・・ "Little Treasure", a new type of Daifuku

▲Little treasure set with tea or other drinks. 900 yen.

　Fair trade white chocolate and yolk bean paste are combined with the aroma of yuzu and wrapped in gyuhi to create a new type of Daifuku confectionery. It is recommended to eat it with black tea, green tea, or herbal tea, as shown in the photo. You can also buy them to go, and they come in stylish boxes of two or six for 330 yen apiece. Please consume early after purchase, as it requires refrigeration.

・Recommended Menu 2 ・・・ Oriental Curry with five-grain rice, crispy chicken and salad with homemade yuzu dressing.

This is the slightly spicy blend of more than a dozen spices and vegetables such as fried eggplant, potatoes and squash in the curry. The five-grain rice is cooked in a Western-style broth to make it very easy to eat, and is served with homemade fried chicken. The salad is made with seasonal vegetables, dressed with an original yuzu dressing which is aromatic, and served with fruit.

▲It Located on the riverfront which is very popular for its retro building, we invite you to enjoy it on the terrace.

■For the experienced travelers, "Sanso Kaze no Mori" with great views and day-trip hot spring baths are also available.
This is a healing ryokan nestled in nature that is a short distance from the boardwalk. Here, you can enjoy the wonderful view from every room, bathhouse, and restaurant. After warming your body to the core in the calciumThis place can be enjoyed as a day trip or overnight stay.

・Recommended experience 1: Make memories with your family or friends by taking a private open-air bath and enjoying the wonderful scenery all to yourself!

There is also a large public bath, but why not reserve a private open-air bath with your friends or family to admire the scenery and make memories of your trip? Soaking in the circular bathtub in which two people can comfortably sit together not only relieves physical fatigue, but also stimulates conversation. Use of the large bathhouse with indoor and outdoor baths are free of charge when combined with order of the meal, but the use of the private outdoor baths costs 3,000 yen per hour.

・Recommended experience 2 ・・・Kaiseki cuisine that uses a variety of seasonal ingredients and allows you to experience the changing of the seasons through all your five senses.

▲Photo shows the Oogi course with a French taste.

There are three types of course meals: Hana - 4, 500 yen; Miyabi - 6, 500 yen; and Oogi - 9, 500 yen, with 7 to 9 dishesv including sashimi and meat dishes. The menu changes approximately every two months in order to use seasonal ingredients. Osaka has many famous dishes, but I would like to enjoy a course meal at this mountain villa at the end of my visit to Osaka.

Recommended Experience 3 ・・・The night view of Osaka City from the mountain lodge at an altitude of about 270 meters is exceptional!

▲Image Source: Sanso Kaze no Mori

Arriving at the villa in the evening, the night view of Osaka city seen from the large glass screen in the lobby is fantastic. Sitting on a chair with a back in the lobby and staring at the night view in the distance will take away the fatigue of the trip. The morning and afternoon views are also spectacular, so be sure to take a look.

■Minoh Otaki Waterfall, Minoh Traffic and Tourist Information Center and other stores.
　・Minoh Otaki Waterfall
　　　　40 minutes walk from Minoh Station, Hankyu Railway
　　　　　※Comfortable walking clothes and shoes are recommended when visiting Minoh Great Falls.
　・Minoh Transportation Travel Information Center
　　　　Minoh city, MInoh 1-1-1
　　　30 minute walk from Minoh Station, Hankyu Railway
　・Hisakuni Kosendo Cobeni
　　　　Minoh city, MInoh 1-4-19
　　　　2 minutes walk from Minoh Station, Hankyu Railway
　・YUZUYA Hashimototei
　　　　Minoh city, MInoh 2-5-37
　　　　5 minutes walk from Minoh Station, Hankyu Railway
　・Sanso Kaze no Mori
　　　　Minoh city, MInoh 2-14-71
　　　　10 minutes ride by a taxi or a pic up buss from Minoh Station, Hankyu Railway