Gōtokuji Temple

This temple was such a serene and calming place to visit. Both my kids and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The atmosphere was quiet and relaxing, making it a perfect spot to unwind and take in the beauty around us. I also loved the opportunity to purchase souvenirs—they had some lovely items to remember our visit. The staff were incredibly kind and welcoming, which made the experience even more special. Highly recommended for a peaceful and enjoyable outing!

Cool place to visit. Buddhist temple with a fun lucky cat area to visit and see. Very unexpected and fun to see. You can buy your own lucky cat to wish good fortune to yourself or pets or loved ones. It is limited to 1 per person and sizes run out quickly.

Visited March 2024. It's a unique temple known for its collection of many lucky cats. I really enjoyed walking around the grounds. The only downside was the number of people in the tighter spaces taking pictures, if felt crowded for an outdoor attraction.

Gotokuji is a hidden gem in Tokyo! The temple’s serene atmosphere, beautiful architecture, and countless lucky cat statues make it a truly unique and peaceful place to visit. It’s a must-see for anyone looking to experience a quieter, more charming side of the city. Had a fantastic time exploring and soaking in the history.

Great place to see the famous beckoning cat. You can buy one to but make sure you get to the temple before 1500 to buy your own cat statue to take home. The selves with all the cat statues are really good to see, but please be respectful when taking pictures around the temple as it is a sacred place. If you get a cat statue make sure you bring it back after your wish comes true.

I recently visited this stunning shrine that truly captivated my heart. The serene atmosphere and breathtaking architecture make it an ideal place for reflection and tranquility. The lush surroundings enhance its beauty, providing a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. One unique aspect of the shrine is the policy allowing only one cat statue per person. I highly recommend visiting early in the day; the early morning light casts a magical glow, and the quieter hours allow for a more intimate experience with the space. Whether you’re seeking a moment of peace or simply wish to admire the beauty, this shrine is a must-visit. It's a perfect spot to reconnect with nature and find a bit of inner peace.

Lovely temple in Tokyo. Worth the visit if you are in the area. Free admission. We enjoyed the cat sculptures and the cemetry area was peaceful. A quiet area for reflection and thanks giving

A must visit for any fans of cats or unique temples! It’s a quick enough walk from the station and there are tons of cat-themed businesses along the walk. The temple is beautiful, combining nature and the iconic cat statues. There’s even a resident cat that you may be lucky enough to see!

Worth the travel for the cute lucky cats! A Buddhist temple that takes some travel time to get to from the main city but so well worth the visit! It's about a 15 minute walk from Gotokuji station from the Odakyu line, and you walk through quiet neighbourhoods to get there. The lucky cat, Manekineko is just a part of the temple but there's also the Gotokuji temple and shrines all around. Be careful when you take pictures with the abundance of white cat statues, as I witnessed so many of them being knocked over by careless tourists. You can purchase a lucky cat at their store and it's limited to one per person. It's said to make your wish with your lucky cat while at the temple, bring your cat home and if your wish comes true, you need to bring the cat back to the temple (even if years later). You can best believe that a lucky cat came home with me after this day! Beside the temple is a cemetery. The temple is large and quiet as there aren't as many tourists here as you'd expect at Japan's other destinations. I enjoyed it, it was very zen and all the shops around this area are Manekineko themed!

Yelp Review 2024 #124: A nice thing to do is visit temples in Japan - it's even better when you can visit super early in the morning avoiding morning rush hour. It's free but you can make a donation by buying one of the maneki-neko (beckoning cat that symbolizes good luck) from the office which ranges in price depending on the size. The smallest one starts at 500yen, the largest one is at 7000yen during the time of writing this review. Seeing all the maneki-Neko in different sizes is definitely a sight to behold. It's not everyday you go to a temple filled with white cat figurines - unless maybe if you live nearby. A visit here takes about 30 minutes to see at the cats. It's not a huge area. Tourists tend to forget this is a temple - dress modestly and be quiet! This is not an amusement park.

Maneki Neko, or in English, beckoning cat. Prior to my travels to Tokyo several years ago, I created a list of places I wanted to see, since I missed out dearly when I lived in Japan many blue moons ago. I was much younger and feared of getting lost as Tokyo can be overwhelming if you don't know the train system. One of those places was Gotokuji Temple (GT). GT is a Buddhist temple that dates back to 1659 with its current name. They are also known as the "cat temple" which is a replica of a Japanese calico cat that is called "maneki neko." These cats are believed to bring good luck to businesses and households which you will often see. There is a Gotokuji Station that also sports the maneki neko as you exit. You need to walk about 15min in the residential area in Setagaya, which is somewhat tricky as you need to walk around just to find the temple's entrance. It was a chilly early spring morning the day I went. With clear blue skies, it was indeed a nice stroll. GT also has no entrance fee to enter and you can leisurely walk around the grounds. I found my way to the maneki neko area where there were 100s or do I dare say a few thousand of them in many sizes. It was a great opportunity to take selfies as I witnessed many people doing so. I also made my way to the souvenir shop as I picked up a handful of maneki neko trinkets and figurines to take back as souvenirs. I was fortunate as Japan hadn't really experienced a huge wave of foreign tourists in March 2023. I was also blessed to have witnessed plum blossoms the day I went. The beautiful blooms were white and shares of fuchsia. Personally I'm not into Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing as I don't care for crowds. So this plum blossom viewing was more up my alley with minimal foot traffic and being able to appreciate Mother Nature. I had such a great first visit where I made my way over to GT in December 2023. This time around there were so many tourists where I found myself not being able to leisurely explore the grounds. I found myself sadly disappointed where they were were all sold out of the maneki neko souvenirs that I was planning to give away to good friends. Sad face. Overall, GT is highly recommended in my to go list while sightseeing in Tokyo. It is also deep in history and a great venue to explore their grounds and absorb what Mother Nature has in store.

The origin of the Maneki Neko... Many do flock over to see the cats little did I know this is the origin of the beloved Maneki Neko. I tell you it's not the easiest access as it's in the midst of a residential area of Setagaya City as we had to take the local train and is somewhat of a walk but once you're there...you just know. It's quite stunning just from the outside and there's a huge plaque that explains it so well the origin in both English and Japanese along with the types of plants that are found here that you're able to enjoy each season as we really enjoyed Momijigari..."the tradition of viewing the red leaves" the Japanese Maple "Momiji" hasn't full transformed red but several has shown it's changes and what a stunning sight to see! Quick info on the plaque states that daimyo Ii Naotaka was saved from being trucked by lightning after returning from hunting when he saw abbot's pet cat beckoning him to the temple now known as Gotokuji. Be humble and give this stunning place a visit... どうもありがとうございます！

Who doesn't need a little money luck? I love the story behind this little good fortune cat. We took a taxi from Tokyo as this temple was pretty far from our hotel by train. The temple is pretty and there are tons of the cats everywhere. You can also purchase one for luck. Due to a shortage, there was a limit of one cat per person.

Gotokuji - The Lucky Cat - Temple was our first stop in a one week tour of Tokyo. We arrived via the (C) Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line then walked about a half mile or so to the temple gate. As you follow the path into the temple area you can get a incense stick from a box on the path, light it (a light will be there to) and place into an large incense burner for such offerings in the middle of the path. Further on you will come onto a small building and to the left and behind you will see the lengthy shelves of lucky cat statue offering's visitors have placed. To the right of this as you continue there is a building where you can buy your own lucky cat statues to place as an offering and or take home. We did both and wrote the name of a loved one on the small one we left behind.

猫好きなら是非是非このお寺に行って欲しい。小田急線の豪徳寺から歩いて十五分弱で、簡単に行くことも出来るし、世田谷線で一つ乗っても良いかも。 時期が初詣の時期、お正月だったので参拝で賑わっていました。 正面右側に社務所があって、招き猫のエコバッグ、大小様々な大きさの招き猫も売っています。注意書きには、境内で買った招き猫にお願いを書いて置いていくのは辞めてくださいってありますが、ほぼ皆さん猫に何か書いて境内の空いているところに猫を設置していました。沢山の招き猫に囲まれた観音様や、お堂は一見の価値があります。 インスタグラムなのでも有名なためか、外国人の方々も沢山お参りにきていました。

This temple is definetly worth the visit!! Yes it's a bit out of the way & somewhat of a walk from the Gotokuji station from the Odakyu line - but I assure you it's well worth the time! This is probably one of my favorite temples out of all of the ones I have seen during my visit. It's small & simple. & when you're visiting, be sure to purchase a neko omamori - every shrine/temple has unique designs & who can't resist a cat omamori? Also the ema boards are pretty too - I was a bit greedy & didn't write anything on it, rather I just took it with me because it was just too cool looking. Anyways if you're visiting, be sure to stop here! Note: I didn't get the chance to ever check in via Yelp (I see the spelling is slightly different on here), so I provided a photo as evidence I was actually there.

This temple is known for both Manekineko and Samurai li's grave. There were many Manekineko in the temple. These were the same faces, but different sizes. It was one of the most fantastic scenery that I have seen in my life. Once upon a time, when Naotaka Ii who is the second Feudal lord in Hikone-Han went hunting and came back on his way, he found a cat which put its right paw in front of the temple. He thought that the cat was inviting him, so he decided to stop by for a while. Then, It suddenly rained heavily. He thought that the cat helped him to not get wet. He loved the cat and the temple. His family grave has been there for generations. The origin of Hikonyan which is a character of Hikone city in Shiga prefecture is this temple.