Out of the city - Into the forest

Yesterday we actually wanted to go to Himeji (an hour west of Osaka by train), where one of the most beautiful castles in Japan is supposed to be. However, there is only the castle and the train ticket was too expensive for us. But in the hostel we were told that there is a beautiful waterfall north of Osaka. So off to Minoo. At breakfast we got into a conversation with a German who spontaneously joined us. Sabrina (see Town Hall Story) also came along.

Minoo is located right on the edge of the forest and has a special treat: fried maple leaves! At first you might think: 'Leaves?' But once you've tried them, you'll know why they can be bought everywhere here. They are brushed with a batter that definitely contains sesame and then fried. Very tasty. Tastes a bit like roasted almonds. Just not as sweet :)

The waterfall is about 3 km away and the path runs alongside a mountain stream the whole time. There are supposedly monkeys there too (warning signs indicate this). However, we didn't see any. Only old Japanese people saw an owl in the trees and kindly let us look through their lens. The owl was so far away that you couldn't really find it. But who knows how long they looked for it afterwards :D The path is very beautiful, with many maple trees, which, however, have smaller leaves than ours. At the end of the route, there is the waterfall, which is 30 m high. Actually, you don't want to leave there :)

On the way back to the hostel, we decided to walk around the Namba district a bit. There are supposed to be many nice shops there. However, we walked in completely the wrong direction and then accidentally found the American Village (it really doesn't look like Japan here!) and the entertainment district Dotonbori :D After dinner, however, we were so tired that we walked back to the hostel. Dotonbori is on the agenda today :)