Gotokuji is a quiet Buddhist temple in Setagaya that happens to be one of the most charming sights in Tokyo. The temple grounds are dotted with hundreds — then thousands — of small ceramic maneki-neko cats, all raising their right paw in invitation. Visitors buy one at the temple entrance, make a wish, and if the wish is granted, return to leave the cat as an offering. The accumulation of white cats covering shelves and ledges in every direction is genuinely surreal.
The temple itself is a working religious site, not a tourist attraction, and the atmosphere reflects this — calm, wooded, and largely free of crowds. Gotokuji is in a residential neighbourhood of western Tokyo accessible via the Odakyu Line to Gotokuji Station. The temple is free to enter.