High up in the hills behind Minoh I was lucky enough to visit Katsuo-ji Temple.
This is a Buddhist Temple that is said to have hosted supreme rulers across various periods in history to worship and pray for fortune in war and it is now known as a the temple of good luck. The word "katsu" in the temple's name refers to winning.
We each got a daruma dolls hoping to obtain "winner's luck". A local monk explained the significance of the dolls and custom of drawing in the facial patterns, giving thanks, lighting an incense stick and immersing it in your wish. And through that process found some further inner calm.
I've now got it in the lounge so I can focus on my wish and make it come true. When the wish is fulfilled, I'm invited like other visitors to return my daruma to the temple and have it placed somewhere on the grounds as a gesture of thanks.
We visited at the tail end of summer and although the leaves were still very much green the bold colours this temple offered was impressive.
This temple and its environ is as good as (in fact, better than) any of the photos I've seen of this Temple across the four seasons of snow, Autumn reds and Spring greens! Try a google image search on Katsuoji Temple now.
Make sure you leave a good couple of hours to create your own daruma and soak up this beautiful place. Get there by Hankyu bus or a taxi - 15 mins from Minoh Station.
Katsuo-ji Temple on Tripadvisor
Katsuo-ji Temple official website
BY JAMES LAMB, HMHFT SECRETARY