Katsuoji

From the train station, it is clear that every effort is being made to make access to the temple easier during this peak season (end of November 2025). Buses were lined up to accommodate throngs of tourists and locals alike. And when we arrived at the temple entrance, the line moved efficiently. There is an option to purchase web tickets but it really did not take us long to purchase them from the staff because of their efficient service. The stamp rally is an unexpectedly genius move! It got tourists moving along instead of simply stopping randomly to take photos (which everyone did understandably). You collect a total of six stamps on a postcard given to you along with your ticket at the entrance and form a nice image towards the end. I would take a photo of the postcard, but you should just experience it for yourself. The darumas are everywhere and I had a lot of fun spotting them in the unlikeliest of places and in the funniest positions! For 500 yen, you get to pick your own daruma “prediction” or “horoscope” and mine was chillingly accurate (with the daruma figurine itself). It is not a typical temple fortune which says “daikichi” or “big luck.” The paper is a collection of sensible advice which you can keep for a long time. It is crowded but not as jampacked as Kyoto…YET!

I thought getting here would be difficult, but it’s actually very easy. The bus stop is right near the train station, and buses run often. Tip: Make sure your IC card has enough balance for a round trip (about 1,600 yen). There is no place to top up at the temple. Inside the temple, there’s a lot of walking, but every corner is beautiful. You can easily take over 300 photos. Besides the fun of collecting stamps (you have to walk around the temple to complete them), it’s also entertaining to observe how people place Daruma dolls everywhere—some spots are honestly quite funny. I recommend spending 2–3 hours here. I liked this temple more than Kiyomizu-dera because it’s less crowded and more peaceful.

Visiting Katsuo-ji 応頂山 勝尾寺 was truly a wonderful experience. The temple is surrounded by beautiful natural scenery, and every step along the pathways offers something amazing to look at. The gardens, ponds, and traditional buildings all blend perfectly with the mountains, creating a peaceful atmosphere that feels almost like a hidden world. The colors throughout the temple grounds are especially impressive, especially during the autumn season when the leaves turn bright red and golden. The contrast between the temple architecture and the vibrant nature around it makes the entire place look like a painting. It’s easy to spend time just walking slowly, taking in the view, and enjoying the calm environment. There are also many lovely corners to explore, and the scenery changes beautifully as you move around the grounds. Whether you look out over the ponds, up towards the pagodas, or along the stone paths, the landscape always feels meaningful and charming. Overall, Katsuo-ji is one of those temples where nature and culture come together in an amazing way. The scenery is truly beautiful, and the whole visit feels peaceful, inspiring, and memorable. 🌿🍁✨

TLDR: fun, cute tourist attraction. Nice for photos and add to your photo collection. Not super worth the trip down. The location was a bit out of the way but they do have a paid bus service (800yen one-way) to and from the station/temple. It was alright, definitely seems like a tourist spot and not made for actual serious prayers, though there were locals praying there. A lot of good photo spots around. Too many imo but that’s a good thing. They also had daruma sponge cakes at 33 pieces for 900 yen (cash only). I thought it was all daruma but it was actually a mix of daruma and plain oval sponge cakes, which was a little disappointing. It was pretty much the only food option around though. Overall, fun but it’s the kind of place you’ll visit once and never again.

I visited Katsuo-ji Temple in December and it was a calm and meaningful place. The temple is known for its “victory daruma,” and you will see thousands of them displayed around the grounds. The atmosphere is peaceful, and the scenery is impressive even without autumn leaves. A few practical points for first-time visitors: • The easiest way is to take the subway to Minoh-Kayano Station, then the Hankyu Bus No. 30. The bus comes about once every hour, so checking the timetable is important. • IC cards are accepted, but you need to tap when getting on and again when getting off. • The temple grounds are larger than expected, with a lot of stairs and walking paths. Comfortable shoes are recommended. • If you buy a daruma, you are supposed to take it home, make your wish, and bring it back only after your wish comes true. • Weekends and autumn season can be busy, so visiting earlier in the day is better. Overall, Katsuo-ji is worth visiting if you are interested in temples, nature, or the daruma tradition. It’s a quiet and refreshing half-day trip from Osaka.

This was a very beautiful temple especially in autumn. The stamp rally was really fun and a good addition to my scrap book. The stamps also had good ink in them so they weren’t weak like the eki ones.. It’s easy to get a bus to the station (the bus is a bit pricey tho prewarning, 800 yen one way and 1600 return). It’s easy to get a taxi from outside to other places also - we went to the minoh falls afterwards which was really beautiful. It is hard to walk anywhere from the temple though, expect to walk around one hour or more. The price for entry was good and comes with the stamp rally card. I think charging for an extra adult entry ticket to get another stamp card is a bit cheeky. If you want to go to a cafe afterwards there isn’t one inside the temple visitor centre but I saw signs outside pointing to one. I really wanted a coffee and got one from the vending machine, it was too late by the time I saw the signs so putting it here as a good to know! :) One thing I didn’t like was how busy it was, it was hard to slow down and enjoy the peace of the temple with so many tourists, then again we did arrive for 12pmish which, judging from google, seems to be the peak visiting time- i would recommend going earlier or later to get a better experience. The dark a castella cakes also only come in a portion of 33, smaller portion options would be much better.

I would rate this as up their as far as temples go, we went late in the afternoon and caught the last bus home. A beautiful sunny day, low crowd and spectacular gardens, waterways and shrines. Absolutely loved it. The history about the Daruma hit home for me and the sheer numbers of them for effort puts life of all into perspective so many people hoping for some luck and happiness. The postcard with stamping stations was a great touch. Well worth a visit. As always the Japanese staff where respectful, helpful and amazing, loved it bit i do love simple and quiet 🤙

Absolutely worth a 1/2 - full day trip to the Katsuoji on the outskirts of Osaka. Easily accessible by train and then a shuttle bus ride. Very orderly and helpful staff at station. Katsuoji is a truly fun and meaningful temple whether you are Buddhists or just visiting tourists. Super scenic, great fengshui, lots of space for everyone even on weekends. 📍 the stamps stations make it orderly & fun for visits: 1st station has the longest lines if you want a photo. 📍 Thousands of Daruma in all sizes in the temple grounds. 📍 Commercial - yes! lots of daruma souvenirs & food omiyage to bring home. 📌 Goshuiin collectors - so precious and sincere ‘writers’ 📌 Wish-making darumas - -Whether you buy one and follow ritual to make your wish. Choice to bring home & return. May all of your wishes come true and abundance prosperity to all 💫💫💫

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.