The lucky cat temple with a magnificent wooden pagoda, Gotoku-ji is a serene and uncrowded temple seldom visited by tourists. It’s a great place to see plum blossomsin February and autumn leaves in November. The grand gate of the temple is framed by beautiful Japanese maple leaves in autumn.
This is one of the best (and earliest) places to see fall leaves in Tokyo.
But it’s the maneki neko lucky cat shrine that lures me back to this temple again and again. Their raised paws are believed to beckon money and good luck into the owner’s business, so shopkeepers from all over Tokyo come here to buy a cat figure and offer it to the bodhisattva, hoping for a big uptick in the bottom line.
This kannon figure is surrounded by cats (plus a few strings of those ubiquitous origami cranes).
Cats, cats, and more cats! Racks and racks of cats!
Even the prayer plaques at Gotokuji feature cats. My favorite one, though, is the one someone drew on the back of the ema in the upper right!
The temple also has a great display of plum blossoms in late February.
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Other great shrines & temples you should shouldn’t miss while you’re in Tokyo, from
The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had!
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 