The Waving Cats Temple of Tokyo : Gotoku-ji

Legend has it that in the 17th century, as he passed by, the feudal lord Naotaka Ii saw in the temple a cat who raised his paw and seemed to invite him to enter. The latter complied and was invited by the priest of the temple to have tea. Suddenly a storm of a rare violence broke out and they understood that the cat had thus saved the lord from his loss by inviting him to enter. To this image were created the Maneki-Neko, figurines in the shape of cats with raised paws that have since become popular internationally.

Supposed to bring luck and good fortune, there are thousands of these figurines around the temple and some are quite funny because they can be painted. If the Maneki-Neko have made the glory of the temple, and they are perfect to buy as a souvenir, the fact remains that the temple itself is very beautiful, including the opportunity to observe a pagoda and a traditional cemetery.

As Maneki-Neko has become extremely popular in Japan, it can now be bought in different places and some ceramists have made it their specialty, as is the case of Tokoname village in Aichi Prefecture!

Located just 20 minutes away from Shinjuku, the area being residential, it's a real breath of fresh air in Tokyo's rhythm. After visiting the temple, if you walk for another 5 minutes, you can discover the Setagaya Hachimangu shrine where you can see a beautiful pond with a small waterfall and where you can attend every year an Sumo wrest outside during the local festival in September every year.

Where the Sumos fight every September

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