The Maneki-Neko Museum, Lucky cat museum in Seto, Japan
The Maneki-Neko Museum houses around 5,000 different lucky cat figures spread across multiple exhibition spaces on two floors. The collection displays an enormous range of designs, sizes, and styles from various periods and makers.
The museum was founded in 2000 and relocated to Seto in 2005 to settle in the city's pottery production area. The earliest pieces in the collection come from the Meiji period, when ceramic lucky cat manufacturing first began.
The raised paw positions carry different meanings throughout the displays: the right paw attracts wealth while the left paw invites customers. You can observe these distinctions across the collection.
The museum sits within walking distance from the train station, making it easy to reach on foot. Hands-on workshops are offered where you can paint and decorate your own lucky cat figure if you wish to create something to take home.
The building itself is an artistic creation, featuring specially designed tiles and three-dimensional cat figures that shape the entire facade. Sculptor Yasumaro Ozawa created these distinctive architectural elements to weave the exhibition's theme into the structure's exterior.
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