Get more business the Japanese way

We selected the Maneki-neko for the front cover of Teach Yourself Business Japanese.  A cat with its right paw raised is believed to bring in wealth.  There is also a cat with its left paw raised, which is believed to bring in customers.

There are a few origins of the story of the Maneki-neko.  One of our favourites is that one day in the seventeenth century, Lord Naotaka Ii was taking shelter from rain under a tree at Gotoku temple and saw a cat waving at him.  He was amused and stepped out of the shelter to get closer to the cat.  As soon as he was out from under the tree, lightning hit the tree.  The cat saved his life.  He was so touched with the act of the cat that he donated a lot of money to the temple where the cat lived.  Lord Ii is now buried at the temple.

To find out more about Japanese business culture and to learn Business Japanese, buy Teach Yourself Business Japanese>>