#nitama

Beloved Cat Stationmaster Nitama in Wakayama Pref. Passes Away at 15 - The Japan News https://share.google/w4mldQHZUW5ycjjJ0

Nitama, Tama's successor, passed away on the 20th. She was 15.

I wonder if they're going to put her somewhere nice like Tama and have her own shrine.

Ever heard of Stationmaster Tama?  

(Photo from the railway’s homepage)

In the early 2000’s, Wakayama Electric Railway (和歌山電鉄) was on the verge of closure when the stationmaster of Kishi station adopted Tama, a stray cat.  Tama was appointed to station master in January in 2007 and ridership for the railway line increased enough to keep the railway from closing down in a phenomenon called “nekonomics” or “cat economics,” the idea that having a cat mascot will increase a company’s popularity.  Tama passed away in 2015 of old age, but was later deified and has a shrine dedicated to her inside Kishi station, where her apprentice and successor Nitama (Tama 2) and Nitama’s apprentice Yontama (Tama 4) are currently employed.  For those of you concerned about Santama (Tama 3). worry not—she was sent to Okayama for training and the public relations officer in charge of taking care of her refused to give her up.

You can visit Kishi station, meet Nitama (who greets passengers in a window during her office hours 10-4 Fri-Tue, Yontama works at Kishi Wed-Thu and Idakiso Sat, Sun, and Tue.), visit the café to buy Tama and Nitama merch and cute drinks, or buy omamori (protective charms sold at shrines) from the shrine shop.  It’s an easy day trip from Osaka.  From JR Tennoji or most stations on the loop line, take the Kishuuji kaisoku (express) going to Wakayama and the airport (be careful to get on the right car as the train decouples at Hineno station and the back half of the train goes to the airport).  The trip to Wakayama station will take about 2 hours.  Transfer at Wakayama to the Wakayama Electric Railway (Wakayama Dentetsu) Kishigawa Line, which is a direct transfer (don’t leave the JR gates first, head towards platform 9).  The best option is to buy a day pass for all of the stops on the Kishigawa line for 800 yen (children 400).