I’m sure everyone has seen one of those golden cat figures in a shop at least once, raising its paw and waving at customers. These figures are called Maneki-Neko, literally “beckoning cat”.

Today we visited the Gōtoku-ji temple in the south-western part of Tokyo. The waving cat originated here. Legend has it that the lord Naotaka Ii once sought shelter from a storm under a massive tree near the temple. There he saw a cat raising its paw as if to beckon him over. He left his shelter and went over to it. Shortly afterwards, lightning struck the tree. Out of gratitude that the cat saved his life, the lord declared himself patron of the temple.

Today, tourists flock in to buy a figure of the famous cat. You can get them there in different sizes. Some take the figure with them as a souvenir, others leave it at the temple.