If you like cats, Japan is the country to visit. 

No Kidding.  

The Japanese are fascinated, no make that obsessed, with cats.  

Revered for giving good luck, cats pop up all over this beautiful island nation.  

I especially enjoyed seeing the Maneki Neko cat or “beckoning cat” pretty much everywhere we visited on a three week trip last spring.  Not surprisingly I took a lot of photos of these happy creatures spotted in stores, restaurants, museums and around the towns we visited.  

The Maneki Neko cat is characterized with its paw in an upright position as if it were beckoning.  Often called the Good Luck Cats,  they are usually made of ceramic or plastic and come in different colors, styes and degrees of ornateness.  

You can even  buy cat figurines  in vending machines.

When I got home from the trip, still curious about the cats, I did a little research and this is what I learned.  

The Japanese Love Cats

The Japanese love cats because they are cute, clean and easier to keep as a pet.  Having a pet in Japan is a luxury because of long working hours and limited living spaces.  

There are shrines that worship cats as gods across Japan.  We didn’t visit any, but the Japanese do.

In the past, a cat was considered good luck for its usefulness in the silk farming industry because cats would get rid of the rats which ate the silkworms.  

Cats bring Good Luck

Depending upon which leg (hand) is raised, the meanings are said to be different.  If right hand is raised it symbolizes bringing in monetary fortune.  If left hand is raised, it brings in people or customers.  

If both are raised, it is a sign of greediness.  This makes me think of India, where the raised or lowered position of the trunk of elephant figurines have different meanings.  

Colors have Meanings

As you can imagine, the cat colors have different meanings.  Black cats warn off bad luck.  Red is effective in chasing away illness.  Gold brings in money.  Pink improves ones fortune in love.  

If you love these cats, you can join a club called The Association for Manekineko Japan.  For a fee, you will receive magazines and notices about activities.    

Of course, there’s a day to recognize and celebrate these critters.   September 29 is designated as Maneki Neko Day in Japan.  Hmmm. Makes me wonder if we have days designated to honor certain pets?  Do other countries?  

In Ise City,  we explored a shop selling all kinds of Maneki Neko figurines.  We were able to pop in there when we visited this city at the end of our trip to see the huge wooden temple. Amazing…..really….. a whole shop devoted to cats filled with shoppers.  

We enjoyed an installation in the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo totally devoted to cats.  At the time, I didn’t totally understand the obsession with cats in Japan.  The exhibit makes more sense to me now. 

Cats have been part of the art world of Japan going back to the Meiji era.  And yes, there’s a museum totally devoted to cats in Japanese art called the Manekineko Museum of Art in Okayama City.

Wondering how cats got to Japan and started this craze? They came from China on Japanese ships as stowaways in the mid sixth century and became very popular by the Edo Period (1615-1868). 

One last tidbit—Japan has over 150 Cat Cafes where you can have  cup of tea and cuddle a cat.  That’s on my list of things to do on my next trip to Japan. I’m much more of a dog person but I’d like to experience a Cat Cafe.    

I was on a trip to Japan organized by Tiny World Tours.  It had nothing to do with cats.

Last week’s blog post was about enjoying a Tea Ceremony on this trip and the meaning of this ancient part of Japanese culture.  If you do a search or scroll back on DesignDestinations.org, you will find more posts about Japan.

Hope you enjoy these cats we spotted at the store in Ise City. I have to admit, it was tempting to come home with a couple but I resisted.