Earlier I wrote about the origin of the "maneki neko" legend at Gotokuji Temple in Setagaya, Tokyo. However, there is actually another place that also claims to be the birthplace of the famous "lucky cats."

About a 10 minute walk from Asakusa's Sensoji Temple lies Imado Shrine, built in 1063. Although it has all the respect and stature of a shrine with over 900 years of history, these days it is famous for a different reason. Its popularity has skyrocketed with couples and hopefuls looking to pray to the god of love enshrined within.

At the entrance to the shrine, I immediately spotted a friendly pair of maneki neko on a sign underneath the large torii gate. Looking closer, the cat on the left had black spots. He appeared to be a male, and his partner was female. These cats are the mascots of the Imado Shrine.

Although the grounds of the shrine aren't that big, it has a friendly atmosphere, being in the middle of a residential area. Removed from any high traffic roads, it's also very quiet and peaceful.

As I walked closer to the elegant main building of the shrine, I noticed two larger lucky cats. Once again, the male on the left had black spots, and both cats were raising their right paw high, beckoning to me.

The shrine offers small ceramic figurines of the two cats said to bring good luck in love, called Imado-yaki, for a small donation (as a Shinto shrine, this isn't considered a business transaction). Unfortunately, the extreme popularity of the cats after being featured on TV and more means that those seeking true love have to order two or three months in advance from the single maker of the cats.

Those couples lucky enough to actually find love thanks to the powers of the shrine often come back to give their thanks to the maneki neko by returning the cats. I snuck a peek, and I saw many beckoning cats that had been offered to the shrine. The size of the figures was a lot smaller than I expected, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

Were all of these cats left by happy couples?

I couldn't buy a maneki neko, so I decided to draw an omikuji fortune instead. Omikuji are fortunes written on small pieces of paper that forecast your luck in the future. There is a box containing omikuji at most shrines and temples. At Imado Shrine, the fortunes of course come with a small lucky cat. There are six different cute cats available, and they would make a great souvenir!

Compare the cat's size to a pen