TOKYO ICON Porcelain Side Plate, Beckoning Cat, 14.5cm

At a glance

• Raised-paw maneki-neko carries a familiar message of welcome and good fortune
• Drawn from TOKYO ICON’s 69-symbol portrait of Tokyo’s food, places and everyday culture
• Compact side-plate size works for cake, snacks, bread, fruit and small servings

With one paw raised in invitation, the maneki-neko has long been enjoyed in Japan as an auspicious figure associated with welcoming people and good fortune.

KIHARA gives that familiar character its own plate through TOKYO ICON, a project that turns 69 sides of Tokyo into simple illustrated symbols. The wider collection moves between food, transport, landmarks, festivals and everyday city life; here, the busy city portrait is reduced to one instantly recognisable character.

That simplicity makes the plate easy to use rather than souvenir-like. At 14.5cm, it is a useful size for a slice of cake, bread, fruit, cheese and crackers, snacks or a small side dish.

It comes in dedicated packaging, giving the good-fortune motif an obvious gifting role too, particularly for a housewarming, new beginning or someone with their own connection to Japan.