“Kuru fuku” means “a coming good fortune”, and this is what people hope for from a maneki-neko. Since Japanese people associate the sound of “ku” with the number nine (9) and “fu” with two (2), while “ru” is just an extra sound, the words “kuru fuku” can be represented as 9ru 29 or 9-29. Therefore, the Association for Manekineko Japan has established September 29th as Maneki-Neko Day (招き猫の日). Some communities and/or businesses host special programs or festivals on this day.
