KIX Day 3/10 - Day trip to Katsuoji Temple

Today we are taking a day trip to Katsuoji Temple, which is famous for having tons of Daruma dolls everywhere!

Knowing we had a long journey ahead, we fueled up with a quick breakfast at a cosy little coffee shop nearby

We rode a 45min metro to Minoh-kayano Station, and bro managed to grab a quick power nap along the way

Take a direct 20-minute bus at platform 8 to get to the temple. Before leaving the train station, make sure to top up your ICOCA card with at least 1,600 yen for the round trip, as you cannot add funds while on the bus

Nestled on a mountain, the temple welcomed us with fresh air and absolutely beautiful weather today

The highlight of the day was definitely the blank postcard that came with our tickets. We had a blast going to every checkpoint, adding stamps layer by layer to reveal a beautiful postcard design

Needless to say, we took so many photos here.

The place is gorgeous, and every single corner turns into a perfect photo spot

The thousands of red Daruma symbolize victory and resilience: "Fall seven times, rise eight times"

Here, victory means overcoming your own weaknesses

Visitors paint one eye when setting a personal goal, and return the doll to the temple with the second eye painted only after achieving success

Ahh... The perfect peace and quiet up in the mountains 

You could see the Daruma dolls were tucked away in the most unexpected places

They were found at almost every crack, wall, and tree branch we passed

All in all, escaping the city bustle for crisp mountain air and views made the trip unforgettable

Checked Katsuoji Temple off the bucket list today! Instead of doing the trek out to Minoh Falls, we decided to pivot and head straight back into the city to explore Shinsaibashi.

Saving our energy is key for an action-packed day at USJ tomorrow!