Minoo Park, often spelled Minoh Park, is the oldest national park in Japan and is located on the northern edge of the Osaka suburbs.

The full official name is Mino Quasi-National Park.

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The national park is small and concentrated in a densely forested valley with a beautiful waterfall.

Most of the trees in the forest are deciduous, which is why Minoo Park is one of the most popular places to visit during the second half of November when the leaves on the trees turn red, yellow, orange and brown.

A beautiful hiking trail leads from the railway station through the valley full of rocks, streams and beautiful nooks and crannies (see map).

Official National Park website: mino-park.jp.

Minoo Park

How to get there

The southern edge of the national park is most easily reached by Hankyu Railway trains.

The railway runs from the city centre from Osaka-Umeda station.

It will first go by train to Ishibasi Mae-Handai station, where you change to another train (again, from Hankyu) to the terminus at Mino-o station.

Trains run approximately once every 10 minutes on both routes.

The total ticket price from Osaka-Umeda to Mino-o station is 280 jpy.

Details: hankyu.co.jp