Do you remember the Shinto shrine that experienced a sudden surge in popularity because of Lucky Star? Well, it appears that the Ryohoji Buddhist temple near Tokyo has decided to go one better... with a full-blown catgirl maid cafe.

Last May, Ryohoji erected a PR sign that featured moe representations of various Buddhist goddesses. This garnered them the attention of GONZO, who expressed interest in licensing the characters earlier this month. In order to further bolster their popularity, Ryohoji decided to put together a catgirl maid cafe during a local festival last week. Unsurprisingly, the cafe turned out to be quite popular.

According to Ryohoji's chief monk, Shoko Nakazato, this new marketing strategy has benefited the temple greatly. They have experienced a healthy surge in popularity, especially among young men. The temple is, naturally, taking this opportunity to sell merchandise featuring the moe goddesses.

Hmm, I have a sudden urge to change religions...

Photos of the event (in video form), as well as a couple of Ryohoji's promotional videos, can be viewed below the jump.

[Via Cartoon Leap, Google News and Ryohoji's website]