The Maneki neko is a very popular japanese sculpture, made of porcelain, glas, plastic or ceramic and people think it brings good luck. Literally Maneki neko means ” cat that calls you” or ” cat of luck” and it represents a cat that calls or welcomes someone with a gesture of the left paw up. In Japan it’s usually exposed out of the shops and restaurants because it attracts money and customers.
(Image source: http://www.bodymod.dk)