Tama The Cat Promoted to 'Super' Stationmaster
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Japanese people must really love cats. First they appoint a cartoon cat as tourism ambassador (Click Permalink for full article) and now this. Tama, a nine-year old stray cat has been promoted to 'Super' stationmaster at the Kishi Railway Station in the Japanese City of Kinokawa.
Tama, who grew up at the station also has her own office (an empty ticket booth) and two deputies cats that report to her!
It all began about two years ago when Wakayama Electric Railway Company, the owner of the train station, had to let all the employees working there go, because very few people took the train from that station.
Tama, however refused to leave and was rewarded with a promotion to stationmaster. As news of the appointment spread, curious tourists started to trickle in to see her. Over the last two years, Tama's popularity had resulted in over 200,000 people coming to the station annually, earning the kitty-cat not only a well-deserved promotion, but also a full-time keeper to look after her.
Tama starts her day with a big stretch and then dons her stationmaster's hat to get ready for the morning commuter rush. After that, she settles back to entertain the hordes of tourists who come just to see her. She sometimes even gives interviews or is invited as guest of honor to local events. Tama performs all her duties without a complaining meow.
She makes a great stationmaster and is the perfect epitome of good customer service, allowing her admirers to take pictures with her, pet her and even carry her around! And if she really takes a fancy to them, she will cross her front paws so that the patterns on her fur form a heart shape - something the Japanese people consider good luck.
Just like Hello Kitty, Tama has a number of products like erasers, postcards, notebooks and pins with her photo on them, sold at the station shop. A $14 U.S. Dollar book of photos, entitled 'Diary of Tama', is one of the hottest selling items.
While the video below is in Japanese, it is quite apparent what a celebrity Tama the stray cat, has become in Japan.
Sources: Japan Probe, Telegraph.Co, BBCNews.
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95 Comments
bluetoothover 10 yearsCool.
kittyclawover 10 yearswow!- kittyclawover 10 yearsbut hay it's still soooo cute
- kittyclawover 10 yearsThe cat sooooooo cute omg!
crystalmoriover 10 yearsXD The guy in the video said nyaa~ I'm laughing so hard right now. Soshite Tama-chan sugoku kawaii~
greekgods123over 10 yearswow you speak japanese! "konichiwa!"
nikukyuover 10 yearsI'm Japanese:)
wildpeepover 10 yearsDo you watch anime like spirited away and my neighbor totoro? I did I love them .- nikukyuover 10 yearsI watched both, and I think I like my neighbor totoro better:) soo cute
animefan3over 10 yearsAnime is awesome wildpeep- wildpeepover 10 yearsI know right !
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsI love both of those movies! Have you seen Howl's Moving Castle?
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsAlso, is it my imagination, or is one of the people in the little box on the upper left in the video Isaka Tatsuya-san?
- greekgods123over 10 yearsyup it is. hes my uncle
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsWhat? Seriously?! That's so cool.... I am a huge fan of Rock Musical Bleach, and everyone in it! They all did such an awesome job!
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsAnd it looked like fun, too.
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsI wonder if they're ever going to do another one.
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsAnd I really liked Sato Miki as Rukia.... But Rukia's one of my favorite characters anyway...and Byakuya...and Renji... and Hitsugaya-taicho and Rankgiku fukutaicho, of course.... And not just them. I love all the Bleach characters (to death? But they're already dead, so that doesn't make sense... Well, technically it's the afterlife.)
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsKyaah~ Too cute!
- animefan3over 10 yearsCool cats can now get a job😝
animegirlyover 10 yearsLike Japan have cool thing they do animefan3- animefan3over 10 yearsJapan I like most is because anime
- animegirlyover 10 yearsI know right animefan3
- animefan3over 10 yearsThey do animegirly Japan have stuff that we don't have but japan have cool thing
tomboy201over 10 yearsThat is cool animefan3
aphphilippinesover 10 yearsHwy!Tama is the name of Japan-cat in Hetalia BW!- crystalmoriover 10 yearsThat's cool.
- nikukyuover 10 yearsAnswer to the first sentence: we do!!! Tama is really famous here in Japan! I love cats!! No.1 fav animal!
- nikukyuover 10 yearsI just noticed...! My family has a vacation house in Kinokawa, Wakayama! But I haven't met Tama....
- animefan3over 10 yearsNikukyu I have two kitten and a cat
happypug12over 10 yearsnikukyu, do you have a cat? If you don't, what breed of cat would you get? And what would you name your cat? If I had a cat, I would name it either "Blueberry" or "Pancake." : )- nikukyuover 10 yearsI once had a cat who loved coming to our house( he's a stray), and I loved him so so so SO much!! I can't even start telling you how sad I was and am, because since last Christmas he hadn't shown up... Sniff...
- animefan3over 10 yearsYou has a cat nikukyu
bigmeloover 10 yearsAww, it's okay. When I was little, there was this little, lime green-speckled frog who always hopped over to the door to the backyard. It was almost as if he (or she) had a track of time, because the little frog always appeared at the back door exactly when it turned 5:30 in the evening. After two days, I finally got the notion that it needed food, because its stomach had shrank from the first time it came. So I stole some rock candy, some cubes of sugar, & a slice of kielbasa to give to it. I feel like after it took a first look at what I had given it, it smiled as to say, 'thank you'. I saw the frog's little tongue devour the confections first, & then slowly made the kielbasa disappear. It sat there for a while, but then it slowly hopped away. It looked back one last time, then turned around & just kept on hopping. To where, I didn't know, really. But all I know it that it never came back after that day. I'll always remember that little frog. I know it's out there, somewhere. & it's why I decided to name it 5:30. So, anyways, don't feel bad that the cat's gone. Feel happy for the cat, because he felt something that not everybody in this world can have - loved by another.- nikukyuover 10 yearsOh bigmelo...You made me tear up. You are just so sweet for words! My wound is still very much raw from the loss my my cat, though it's been over two years. This might seem silly because, after all, he was a cat. But I loved him with all my heart and that's what matters to me the most. I learned a valuable lesson from him; love someone when you can-you never know what'll happen. You can't bring back the past, no matter how much you want to. It's still hurts. But I'm moving on, and im glad.
- nikukyuover 10 yearsPlease, listen to my advice. I know it's a little hard to think that I'm actually a real girl behind a screen. But I am. I may still be young, but I had a lot of experiences, both good and bad. Today, my great grandmother went to heaven. She passed away so suddenly, and without any notice. I'm still having a hard time believing it. She was a really strong and independent women. She was 97. I wasn't there when she died, but my great aunt was. She told me that great grandmas last words to her; "Don't cry. Stay strong." I'm so sad that I wasn't able to spend time with her more. I had this weird sensation all day. I'm thinking about so many things, but it can't stay long enough to think it. It's hard to explain. I'm thinking so many things, yet I'm not. A gaping hole in my soul. What I'm trying to say, is that...you can't bring back the past. No matter how much you regret it. No matter how much you regret it.
- bigmeloover 10 yearsI can relate. A couple months ago, my great-grandfather passed away at 89 years old. I only knew him for 3 months, but even so, I knew he was a great man. I'm not really a person who cries a lot, but I was crying at his funeral. Even my dad, who's probably cried only a couple times in his entire life, was tearing up. I still regret not being able to meet him sooner, because then I could've gotten to know him better. The first time I met him, he promised me that he'd come to my house & play some Mahjong. He never got the chance. This was the first time I experienced death, & it came hard. As I saw his dead body in the coffin, I knew there & then that it'd be the last time I saw his face, but I'll always remember him, wherever he is right now.
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsI really don't know what to say.... From my experience, words like "I'm sorry for your loss" seem petty and only add to the pain. But I want to say something....
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsI understand. My father's parents passed away before I was born. My mother's parents, whom I call Nana and Papa, passed away in 2012. I remember that feeling so well. It leaves a huge, raw, open wound in your heart, and at the same time, seems to fill you with so many things. Thoughts, memories, realizations. Confusion and clarity. It's inexplicable. But that feeling will help you learn and grow. After they passed, I finally decided to make something of my life. I realized, I didn't want to waste any more time. That time is precious. I wanted to be happy, so that they would be happy. I knew that was always what they wanted for me, but I had never been able to acknowledge that before. Now I want to live in a way that will make them proud.
- wildpeepover 10 yearsReally your great grandmother passed away today I cant belive it I feel so bad!
- nikukyuover 10 yearsThank you... Today I can say to her my last goodbyes...
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsI can so relate! There was a cat once who lived in a bookstore that my Mom worked at. I would go with her and spend almost all the time hanging out with the cat. She was a very pretty spotted cat- a kitten, actually. The owners were going to give her away, and I was hoping to adopt her and name her Sunset because of her beautiful multi-colored fur. But one day they let her outside and she never came back. I was really heartbroken. I hope and wish to this very day that she's still safe and happy somewhere. I really loved that cat.... Unfortunately it took me many more years and hardships to learn what you said there- to treasure what you can, while you can. I'm just so glad that I know that now, so that I can avoid having that kind of (almost) regret again.
may152003over 10 yearsI know same with me!!!! I met a cat where my cousin worked and she was so cute..... she also had 5 kittens! I told him to name one of the kittens Snowball... I remember her... :( But now that I moved I can't really see her she grew up and she was my favorite amongst the 5 kittens!! :) :(
- bigmeloover 10 yearsAw, yay! I'm so happy for you! I've learned that the ones you love most can leave the biggest scars. ;)
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsAnd somehow those scars become a very important part of who we are.
- greekgods123over 10 yearsHa Ha!! thats funny!
- nikukyuover 10 yearsI think we're not joking here...
- wildpeepover 10 yearsWhat's funny?
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsMaybe she meant something more like 'ironic'?
- happypug12over 10 yearsI bet you that he kept coming back to your house over and over again because he loved YOU. Maybe something happened to the stray cat? Did want to keep him?
- nikukyuover 10 yearsAwwww you are so sweet... Yes, I LOVE him sooooo much... My dad said that maybe he died.😢😿 Now I'm sad all over again...
- wildpeepover 10 yearsHey, nikukyu how did do make those emojis ?
- bigmeloover 10 yearsEven if he died, I'm pretty sure he'll remember you forever, wherever he is. :)
- crystalmoriover 10 yearsYou never know. He/she could have been adopted by someone else.
- wildpeepover 10 yearsnikukyu how did u make that cat
eveningstarover 10 yearsmaybe he found another cat...... I'm sure he still remember's you!- nikukyuover 10 yearsThanks guys...I will always be thankful for cheering me up!
- storymindalmost 11 yearsthat cat is super cute!
- super catsover 11 yearsfunny and awesome please read sweet have fun
- funnyalmost 12 yearsfunny