Katsuo-ji

Katsuo-ji, also known as "the temple of winners luck", is a temple in the northern hills of Osaka prefecture. It must be lucky because two days after I visited Crystal Palace beat Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford!

Main gate.

Luckily it was a Monday so I didn't have to wait too long to take a picture without people in the way. Apparently there were so many visitors the day before that the road up there was blocked by traffic.

Daruma

People looking to succeed in sports, politics etc. can purchase "daruma" from the temple. These red dolls are sold without eyes. The recipient of the doll paints in one eye when they make a wish, then the other when the wish comes true. After that, the doll can be brought back to the temple and left somewhere on the grounds. There are hundreds of Daruma scattered around the grounds of Katsuo-ji.

The price of the daruma vary quite dramatically, with the largest ones setting you back up to 1,000,000 yen (10,000 dollars). I suppose if it wins you an election or keeps you alive, then that might be seen as a good investment.

Tahōtō pagoda