It is a bit ironic that I was ripped off buying a Maneki Neko (Beckoning/Lucky/Money Cat) at the old International Marketplace in Waikiki.
I was young, and didn’t know you were supposed to barter in the open air tourist shopping bazaar. So when they gave me a price for this golden cat, I immediately agreed. I was just starting my obsession with Japanese culture and just had to have a Money Cat. But it was an expensive purchase…nearly all of my spending money…and at the start of the trip. My parents were shocked I spent so much on it.
They asked if I bartered. I didn’t even know what that was! Once they explained it to me…I felt foolish. And I felt worse when my sister showed the various things she bought. How did she barter? She forgot she had money in various pockets and would be like “Uh…this is all I have…” and would show the seller a handful of dollars and much much less than what the initial asking price was. So this money cat…was an expensive lesson!
Sadly, the International Marketplace was closed down in 2013, to make way for a shopping mall with Saks 5th Avenue. A very different departure of what it was before. Read the history of it here. Or learn more about Maneki Neko, the lucky cat.
Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.
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