Katsuoji

Great temple! It is worth the hike/the price. Take your time walking around the parc, and to do the post card stamps along the way. This is quite a unique temple, which you won’t see as much either in Kyoto or Osaka. I’d suggest you buy a small daruma to either take home or leave on site to make your wish come true.

Really worth the visit! There is a bus that goes directly from the station to the temple. It is very convenient. Just make sure to go early. A lot of people line up for the bus, and if you miss the last one, you might have to take a taxi, which is expensive. I recommend visiting in the morning. It is less crowded and you can enjoy the temple more.

I recommend this place to everyone that’s going to Japan! It’s so much fun. A bit touristy in the way it is set up, but because of it very accommodating to foreigners. There is a 500 yen admission fee. But you get a cute post card for it in return that you can stamp.

This was a very beautiful temple and it was fun to see all the daruma everywhere. You can buy some to add or take home or both. You have to hike up a little in the temple before, but it’s worth it to see the beautiful views. They accept both cash and card When you get off at the train station, you can take a direct bus to the temple. It is 800 yen both ways and they do jam pack you into the bus. If this isn’t something you want, you can take a taxi. While waiting for the bus you can scan a QR code and buy tickets for the temple or you can buy them at the temple itself. With the ticket, comes a cute postcard you can stamp along the way through the temple and build a picture. The other downside is if you are staying in central Osaka it is kinda of journey to get to the temple but I think it’s totally worth the trip.

One of my favorite temples to visit. Taking the bus there was very convenient—just be sure to plan according to the bus schedule. I really loved the meaning behind the Daruma dolls; at every corner, you’ll see people placing them. It took about an hour with several stops to explore the temple fully. I even purchased a Daruma doll and placed it in a special spot. When you buy a ticket, you receive a postcard where you can stamp at each station—such a fun and interactive way to explore the temple. The souvenir shop is small and has just a few items, but overall, it’s a wonderful place to visit. Highly recommend!

Hands down our best temple experience in Japan. We went early (8am) and had the entire temple to ourselves. We loved how interactive this temple experience was- you go through the visitors route stopping at stamps along the way that help you create your own Daruma take home artwork. The gardens were all in bloom and pristinely kept. The staff were friendly and offered to take our pictures- there are multiple unique photo opps. The mountain scenery is gorgeous and the koi pond is teeming with colourful fish. The icing on the cake is the thousands of Daruma dolls everywhere that make this temple feel somewhere in between a holy site and an art installation. Go early, skip the bus and take a taxi from Minoh Kayana station- almost the same price anyway!

If I'm not lying, this is one of the best temples I've been to in Japan. The area is huge, they give you a piece of paper to collect stamps that turn into a full-fledged picture. Walking around it is really interesting, the whole temple is covered with red darumas. I think visiting this temple is a must-have. Further up the road you can buy your own daruma with predictions and leave it in the temple or take it home.

I absolutely loved this temple! The scenery is beautiful, the daruma figures that are everwhere give it a special feeling and the view is stunning! We went early in the morning and arrived at around 10.30 which was great, because there weren't many people there yet. Getting the stamps for the postcard was a fun addition to this beautiful place. Definitely recommend coming here, especially since some locals from Osaka don't even know about this!

A MUST see when visiting Japan, specifically Osaka. An easy train ride from Osaka Namba station - no platform changes - Katsuoji temple is truly a gem. Note : the cheapest way to get to the temple is taking the local bus that goes straight to the temple. The roads from the train station to the temple are long and uphill. You will either want to take a bus or taxi. The bus only has a few trips a day to the temple so you may be waiting a while. We waited about 2 hours for the next bus. It was so worth it. The temple grounds are extremely peaceful and we were lucky that it wasn't crowded at all. The daruma were all over the grounds and it was beautiful. Highly recommend!

Finally arrived here after 6 hours of hiking. It's located in a beautiful place, surrounded by the mountains in Minoo but one of it's highlight is the different sizes of Daruma Dolls scattered everywhere. These Daruma dolls are also being sold in different sizes at the top of the temple, the omiyage shop are not selling it. The shop also had nice view of the temple ground , have a matcha and relax :)

A hidden gem and glad we made the trip. My teenage kids were happy to get some daruma dolls home. The temple is a little out of the way and remember to check the last bus 29 which ends at 4:30 pm each day.