I went to the Gotokuji shrine today.
So many cats! Gotokuji is located in the Setagaya ward of Tokyo. Very quiet residential area. Gotokuji station is on the Odakyu line which is the same line I live on so it was very easy to get there. I kept putting it off but I'm glad I got to go! It was a nice little field trip that I got to enjoy! 

 Legend holds that the maneki neko *the lucky cat figurines) originated back in Edo period, when a feudal lord from Hikone (a city in present-day Shiga Prefecture) passed by a temple in Edo. There, he met a cat that beckoned him to come into the temple. The lord followed the cat and decided to stop by the temple; soon after, a thunderstorm came by. The lord, who took shelter at the temple, became thankful of the cat's deed; eventually, he collected enough funds to rebuild and claim the temple as his family temple, which eventually became Gotokuji. As time went on, people began to offer maneki neko figurines to the temple as a sign of gratitude when their wishes came true.


Today, the maneki neko is considered to be the model for the mascot of Hikone City.