Kishi Station (Wakayama)
Kishi Station (貴志駅, Kishi-eki) is a train station on the Kishigawa Line in Kinokawa, Wakayama, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Wakayama Electric Railway.
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Kishi Station was known for Tama the stationmaster cat, who became the mascot for the station until she died in June 2015.[1] The cat held the official position as Super Station Master.[2][3] Tama was succeeded as Station Master by another cat, named Nitama.[4]
Since renovation, the station is housed in a cat-face-shaped building, with a Tama-theme cafe, with cat theme chairs and cakes. There is a souvenir shop with a wide range of stationery (pens, staplers and others) and Kishi Station uniforms. The Wakayama Electric Railway operates three cat-themed trains: Strawberry, Tama, and Toy.[5]
The feline stationmaster works on Friday–Tuesday (10am–4pm) and is off duty on Wednesday and Thursday.
History
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On February 1, 2010, the Kishi Station building was closed and demolished. Construction began on a new station facility in March, with the cat-themed new complex opened in July.[6]
References
- 「たま駅長」死ぬ―和歌山電鉄の名物駅長、心不全で 16歳、人間なら80歳 28日に社葬 [Stationmaster Tama dies at age of 16]. Sankei West (in Japanese). Japan: The Sankei Shimbun & Sankei Digital. 2015-06-24. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
- "Tama the station cat brings passengers to Kishikawa railway line." Times Online. May 27, 2008.
- Lah, Kyung. "Cat in hat makes $10 million for town." CNN. October 29, 2008.
- Wong, Maggie Hiufu (2015-08-24). "Meet Nitama, the new cat in charge at Japan's Kishi Station". CNN.
- Wong, Hiufu (24 May 2013). "The cat that saved a Japanese train station: Meet Tama, Japan's cutest stationmaster, and her adorable cat-shaped station home". CNN Travel. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2010-01-12.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)