Licensing

Good Luck Cats or Maneki Neko

Since Irene has been a part of the Little Tokyo community for so long, she has witnessed its many metamorphoses; from the economic boom in the 70’s and 80’s to the current economic hardships. Irene is excited about the recent influx (prior to the recent economic downturn) of fresh development. New development, especially housing, brings in more customers and is a presage to greater economic success and a beacon for change. Irene sells these good luck cats, which purportedly beckon in customers.

Irene laments that some of the “Japaneseness” in Little Tokyo is slowly being diluted. She holds fast to the belief however, that the whole world is constantly changing, and as much as many would love to see Little Tokyo stay a little microcosm frozen in time, Irene admits that it is subject to the same inexorable change like the rest of the world.