A Streetcar Named... Tama the Cat

Thu, October 20, 2011, by Muza-chan

Kishi is a train station on the Kishigawa Line, in Kinokawa, Wakayama, which became world famous because it is run by... a cat. Tama, a beautiful calico, was initially adopted by the station master and after a while it was officially named station master. Like any employee of the railroad, Tama wears a station master hat, has duties regarding passengers greeting and receives a salary in... cat food.

A lot of publicity started around Tama, and just one year after, the number of passengers increased by 10%, contributing over 1 billion Yen to the local economy! In 2008, Tama was promoted as "super station master", receiving also an office, a converted ticket booth and a couple of feline assistants. And in 2009, Kishigawa Line launched a Tama decorated train, the Tama Densha...

... but Tama's fame is spreading: a little time ago, I discovered in Okayama a streetcar decorated in a similar manner - a lot of Tama drawings, her paws and the Tama logo:

Tama Streetcar, Okayama

EXIF info:

Nikon D90
Lens: VR 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G
Focal Length: 32mm
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/640s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 200

A Streetcar Named... Tama the Cat

# Sakura, cherry blossoms

# Kyoto travel

# Japanese trains

# Travel tips for visiting Japan

# Japanese castles

# Night time photos from Japan

# Tokyo travel

# Traditional Japanese house