Japan railway appoints 3rd cat stationmaster
A calico cat named Yontama was officially appointed on Wednesday as the third feline stationmaster of Kishi Station on the Wakayama Electric Railway’s Kishigawa Line, continuing a tradition that has boosted tourism and helped sustain the local railway for nearly two decades, Kyodo reported.
At a ceremony held in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, railway president Mitsunobu Kojima placed a medal bearing Yontama’s new title around the cat’s neck, drawing applause from attendees. The company also introduced its latest feline apprentice, Rokutama.
Yontama succeeds Nitama, another calico cat who passed away in November and has since been named honorary stationmaster. The tradition began in 2007 when the line appointed Tama, its first cat stationmaster, a move that attracted nationwide attention and a surge of visitors. The success inspired other struggling railways across Japan to appoint cats, dogs, rabbits, and other animals as symbolic stationmasters.
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Kojima expressed hope that Yontama would “lead the way as stationmaster at a time when local railways are at a turning point of major changes.”
Earlier, it was reported that Japan’s hospital dogs offer comfort and normalcy to sick children.
