Long-time Neatorama readers are no doubt familiar with Maneki Neko, the Japanese beckoning cat. Jürgen and Mike at For 91 Days got a chance to visit the Gotoku-ji temple, a shrine dedicated to Maneki Neko.
Worshipers at the Gotoku-ji often bring a Maneki Neko statue to leave for good luck. The result is a little surreal, with hundreds of cats sitting along a set of shelves outside a shrine. Except in size, they’re are all identical, exactly the same model with the same paw raised and the same beatific expression on their face.
The cat shrine is just one tiny section of the expansive Gotoku-ji temple, which, thanks to its location on the outskirts of the city, is usually very quiet.
There are pictures at For 91 Days that show plenty of ceramic cats, but you won’t get the feel of just how many there are until you watch the video panning from side to side.