Beckoning cat (Manekineko) is the most famous cat in Japan - except for, of course, Hello Kitty , probably. At the entrance (or inside) of restaurants, bars, shops and other businesses that rely on heavy customer traffic you sometimes see a porcelain figure in the shape of a sitting cat with one paw raised as if making the customary Japanese gesture used in beckoning people. That cat is the manekineko (beckoning cat) and believed to bring fortune and happiness.