Raise your paw high
Some places are dog places, other are cat places. Japan seemed to be a cat place. Cats popped up in the most unexpected places in Japan:
On the side of the river in Tokyo
High up in the hills at the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto
In the middle of volcanic steam on a mountain in Hakone
And, as you’ve already seen, but worthy of a repeat…
Dressed up for Halloween on a busy street in Tokyo
The Japanese believe that a cat with its paw raised high in the air brings them good fortune and money. All over Japan, we saw cats in front of stores with their paws moving up and down over and over.
Not buying one of these cats with mechanical paws is one of my few regrets of this trip.
As further evidence, I present to you this poster depicting a painting by a Japanese artist in Ueno Park:
And of course, there’s the whole Hello Kitty obsession.
Then again, maybe the Japanese are dog people after all.
Dog with a girly bow leash in Nikko
Dog walking on its hind legs down a street in Arashimya
Dogs in a stroller in Ueno Park who probably never have to walk themselves anywhere
I totally know what you mean! Munich, for example, is crazy about their dogs, while Istanbul is all about the cats. 🙂
We bought one of the beckoning luck cats for a friend back home as a present after our RTW trip. Our friend was in sales, and she proceeded to put cat treats in front of the statue anytime she hoped to land a big client. It always worked! Then, one time she forgot to put out the kitty treats…and, well, beckoning luck cat was not pleased. Our friend didn’t land the sale, but she never forgot to put out cat treats again! LOL! 🙂
I love that she gave the cat statue kitty treats!!!