Pop Japan

"All aboard the Wakayama Railaway!" shouted the cat station master, Tama.

Yes, at the Kishi Station of the Kishigawa Line, there was a furry station master, that has continued to draw attention not only in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture but also across Japan and the world. In 2004, when the Kishi station was almost closed because of financial reasons, the then informal station manager, Toshiko Koyama, decided to adopt Tama, one of the stray cats which frequented the station. Eventually, the station wasn't closed at all. Two years later, thhe managment of Wakayama Railway cut costs by removing most of their staff. Koyama was now chosen as the station manager. In 2007, Tama was hailed the official station master.

Tama is a calico cat, a breed of domestic cats, with spotted or particolored coats.

Photo by Takobou. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

Tags: Animals, Cat, Tama, Kishigawaline, Calicocat, Wakayama, Japan, Kishistation, cutecat, feline, wakayama railway, tama, cat station master, calico cat, kishi station, kishigawa line, kinokawa, wakayama prefecture, toshiko koyama