Peeking out the window, you beckon.
Who are you calling? What is it that you see?
Nothing of course. Yet what dreams pass before you?

Chinatown. Visual elements define a sense of place at a time of rapid change. And watching from behind a shopkeeper’s window is the Lucky Cat. Maneki Neko is beckoning.

Originally from Japan, the Lucky Cat’s purpose is to bring good fortune, money, or customers. But they stand behind glass, mostly unsmiling, separate, watching. Omnipresent in Chinatown businesses, they are almost invisible. Yet they remain an integral part of the Chinatown landscape, watching people go by like dreams.