Gotokuji Temple

豪徳寺

The lucky-cat temple with hundreds of white maneki-neko

⚠ Cat office closes ~3pm

Hours

Grounds 06:00–17:00; the temple office roughly 08:00–15:00

Tickets

Free entry; maneki-neko sold separately at the office

Address

2-24-7 Gotokuji, Setagaya-ku

Small shelves are packed with white cats, hundreds of them, each with one paw raised, all facing the same way. It is hard not to laugh at first sight. The temple is said to be where the maneki-neko story began, and the pile grew from people returning cats after their wish came true. You buy a small cat at the temple office, make a wish, and bring it back if it works. After the cats, the quiet grounds feel longer than they are.