Hello Everyone, Naomi here~

Let me share my visit to “Gotokuji Temple” today. If you’re a cat lover, it’s A MUST SEE in Tokyo!

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Gotokuji Temple, found in Setagaya, Tokyo, is famous for its numerous maneki neko or “beckoning cats” that welcome visitors. There are other temples well-known for them in Japan, but a temple that has this many maneki neko is quite rare.

If you walk past the large incense holder and the big bell, you will find the Maneki Neko on the left.

And here they are, countless Maneki Neko! The entire space is filled with cats!

These Maneki Neko are all offerings from visitors to the temple. This act of giving something precious to a god or Buddha is called hono (“offering”). The Maneki Neko is believed to make wishes come true. Some people believe that by offering them to the Gotokuji Temple after their wishes came true, their good fortune would stay with them. It’s because of this belief that so many Maneki Neko have found their way here.

Maneki Neko figures are available for sale at the reception. The smallest size is perfect as a souvenir (300 yen). The size of the Maneki Neko doesn’t influence the size of your fortune, so don’t worry about size and choose one that best suits you 🙂

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Japan has many seasonal foods and traditional Japanese sweets. As Japan’s leading culinary school in Tokyo, we are open for anyone who’s interested in Japanese Dishes. Please check our menu and class schedule below, and please feel free to contact us for your inquiry!

https://abccooking-t.jp/japan/

(Source of today’s article: https://matcha-jp.com/en/1646)