Visitors from 170 countries/regions “#WDC” Katsuoji Temple (Osaka Prefecture) “#WDC”, an event to support the “Osaka-Kansai Expo”, has attracted 170 people from 170 countries/regions to take pictures with flags in the first month!

[Visitors from 170 countries/regions “#WDC”] Katsuoji Temple (Osaka Prefecture) “#WDC”, an event to support the “Osaka-Kansai Expo”, has attracted 170 people from 170 countries/regions to take photos with the flag in the first month! ​ Katsuoji Temple Press release: May 13, 2025 [Visitors from 170 countries/regions “#WDC”] Katsuoji Temple (Osaka Prefecture) “#WDC”, an event to support the “Osaka-Kansai Expo”, has attracted 170 people from 170 countries/regions to take pictures with flags in the first month! We will provide a place where you can take photos with flags of countries and regions around the world. Enjoy socializing with Katsuo-dera, a 1300-year-old temple in Minoo City, Osaka Prefecture, such as “Holding your own country’s flag” or “Holding your country’s flag with someone from around the world”! Katsuoji Temple (Minoh City, Osaka Prefecture) is currently holding the #WDC (World Daruma Challenge) as an event to support and enliven the Osaka Kansai Expo (duration: 184 days from April 13, 2025 to October 13, 2025).
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-535cfbc01c0000414eaa43d891f669ed-3900×2600.jpg ■People from 170 countries and regions visited in the first month of launch The #WDC (World Daruma Challenge), which started at the same time as the Osaka-Kansai Expo, features flags from 200 countries and regions and invites people from all over the world to take
commemorative photos on a special stage. As of May 12, 2025, exactly one month after its launch, people from 170 countries and regions have visited. Thank you very much.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-cc1f8c55bf376d91ed7fa67203ebe963-2025×2700.jpg [List of countries/regions where photos were taken] Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Belize , Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo (Republic of the) , Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany , Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of) , Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman , Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru,
Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Kosovo, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand,
Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-b5da7537fbcb9cf9a4d272486bbafad5-1080×1080.jpg Countries/regions where you newly arrived on May 12, 2025. Uploaded to official Instagram. @katsuoji.temple ■We are also looking forward to visitors from 30 other countries and regions! We have already had people from 170 countries and regions come, and although we have prepared flags, we have not yet had people from 30 countries and regions take photos with their flags at the #WDC (World Daruma Challenge). We hope that people from all over the world can safely enjoy the Osaka-Kansai Expo, and that people from other countries and regions will also be able to visit.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-526b0b4fa7fcdad2c5b8362f6c7fd2a4-1668×1168.jpg [List of countries/regions that have not yet been filmed] Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Cook Islands, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Gambia, Georgia, Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Niger, Niue, Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Yemen ■Event overview This is an event where you can take photos with flags from countries and regions around the world. We have flags from 200 countries and regions available, so you can enjoy them as you like, such as “holding your own country’s flag” or “holding your country’s flag with someone from around the world.” ■Communication to the world By using the hashtag #WDC (abbreviation for World Daruma Challenge) and posting them on social media, we hope that people around the world will share the excitement of the Expo with the world and create memories of Japan. ■Place of interaction In addition to having your friends take photos with each other, we also hope that people from various countries you met at Katsuoji Temple will be able to take photos while holding their respective national flags, contributing to the creation of opportunities for exchange. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-456ebf816547a492b6198214583984f3-1567×1045.jpg The founding of Katsuo-ji Temple dates back to the 4th year of Jinki (727) during the Nara period, when twin monks Zennaka and Zensan established a hermitage on this sacred mountain and built “Miroku-ji Temple.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-6bd0f426b79bee6aa0ce685f4d15cdb1-1063×707.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-07dadcf2ed7c0d990757eac79670ac91-3900×2925.jpg During the Heian period, when Emperor Seiwa, the emperor at the time of his illness, prayed for the safety of his body, the sixth head priest of the temple had a remarkable effect, and Emperor Seiwa himself was so impressed that he said, “The legal power of this temple is superior to the king, who rules this country.” The temple was named Katsuoji (Katsuoji), but the temple authorities thought that the words “defeating the king” were too scary, so they replaced the word “o” with the character “tail” and changed the name to Katsuoji (katsuoji).
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-47a767591a5652b887fdb171b9ac2c29-3900×2600.jpg @yukarichan2525
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-4a07645ee8e2cebd25ef2750b9d00ecc-3900×2597.jpg @macchips
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-3adeb89d11a8110b1bfa9a733fa0b3e6-3900×2599.jpg “Winning” as preached at Katsuoji Temple does not mean “victory” gained by defeating others, but rather “facing oneself and winning over one’s own weak heart.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-edb0e95fe7313dbbd750dad8c00c7d9c-2159×2700.jpg @koooji.607
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-dc41d7c21e43eeeff9ddbc8bc11bd214-1365×2048.jpg @noriphoto.jp
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-173645b10499756077b2939f89ee358f-1440×1800.jpg @sakuya.life Nowadays, it is filled with worshipers from all over the world as a temple where people can “win against themselves” in all aspects of life, such as business, entrance exams, love, illness, relationships, and sports.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-2cb85c7b553bb69fff8c9a59f7d50875-933×933.jpg @olympuslove06_
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-56dc12fd01f75b2c0ce4648297fb3a16-748×748.jpg @mwk_3588
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-8e95718b910375a108bc2c6fc8f273bb-2683×2700.jpg @konan_camera Katsuoji Temple’s “Katachi Daruma” is not a magical entity that can make your wishes come true.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-533c5c9f8e57f69a6c1e00b5bad53103-2194×2925.jpg @makoricky
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-476ee6e9f369d9c00fa9f6e4f00c8932-2160×2700.jpg @riemi4760
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-20a85e8302a9eab586c1e77fe1f89d3c-1800×2700.jpg This item is a gift that serves as a “self-pledge,” a promise to yourself to “spare no effort every day” to achieve the goals you have set for yourself.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-4239e315f963f5d7ab9685492eeda0e5-3706×2426.jpg @jiro_tatara
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-9567313352d90060ae4f50f57ed0d1ff-3900×2600.jpg @fcbmk
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-113e96e7a71fa7f8649d45fad0d2b709-3900×2925.jpg @shinman918 “How should I use this precious life that God has given me?” In other words, you can verbalize questions such as “How do you want to live this year?” and “What do you want to achieve?” toward your own “mission” and write them into your own winning dharma.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-2814dcb63091ff15a6c77353d9b8bfdc-3900×2925.jpg @akamatsushiho
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-efe5b38b24ff230c8006899b98d7ab67-3900×2600.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/111535/25/111535-25-fcea20f090cf8c5d21f94ed6025eee90-3900×2925.jpg @pikari0827 By writing the “Mission/Great Purpose of Living” on the bottom of Katsushi Daruma and the “goal for this year” on the back of Katsushi Daruma, submerging the Daruma in the smoke of incense filled with gratitude, and writing in one of the eyes of the Daruma, you sign a pledge with yourself and pledge to yourself that you will spare no effort in achieving your goals this year, and by extension, your own “mission.” [Katsuoji Official Website]
https://katsuo-ji-temple.or.jp/ [Katsuoji Official Instagram] ＠katsuoji.temple *Photos used in this article that have an “@” mark below must be credited. Please note that photos not listed are official photos of Katsuoji Temple. Please handle with care.