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Have you entered a store with a beckoning cat greeting you with their little claw? Yes, that is a beckoning lucky cat. And this is the legendary birthplace of lucky cat or maneki-neko that is believed to bring good luck: Gotokuji Temple.

Gotokuji is a rather humble Buddhist temple, located in a quiet neighborhood of Setagaya district in Tokyo, Japan. Thousand of lucky cat figurines fill the temple, usually donated by the worshipper. It offers more authentic experience of Japanese life, as it is not quite a touristy place. Aside from the famous lucky cat, it is a beautiful and serene place of worship. As part of the trip, you can buy various lucky charms with main theme of lucky cat.

How to get there?

It’s not far from Shinjuku or Shibuya. However, if you want to fully immerse in lucky cat experience, you can also ride the lucky cat train.

In 2017, Tokyu Railways began to operate “Kofuku-no-Manekineko Densha” or the train of beckoning cat for the train service of Setagaya Line. The train is decorated with beckoning cat illustrations in the body and inside. A cute cat cartoon appears in the front and back of the train. On the inside, we can see a lucky cat’s hanging straps and paws on the floor.

Lucky cat train’s schedule does not always run within the train service of Setagaya Line between Sangenjaya to Shimotakaido. The schedule may vary everyday, but you can check the schedule here. You can also purchase Manekineko Densha’s day ticket at the train station for 340 yen, which allows you to hop on and off as you wish within the day of the purchase. If you start your trip from Sangenjaya or Setagaya, the nearest train stop to Gotakuji temple is Miyanosaka.

Though Gotakuji temple is not popular among tourists, it still has a charm that is worth visiting especially for cat lovers. Surprisingly there’s no real cat, but seeing thousand lucky cat figurines will squeal with joy. Just cuteness overload.