Letting stray cats be stationmasters: The cat train turns the electric railway from loss to profit

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Network, reported by Li Xinyi

Stray cats often face a tough fate, but in Japan, there’s a true story of a stray cat becoming a cat stationmaster. Though now required to "commute" daily and sleep in the station’s cat bed, the comfortable and relaxed working environment still allows this stray tricolor cat to live a happy life; but the happiness isn’t just for the cat—its “client,” the Wakayama Electric Railway, also benefits. Belonging to a local railway line, the Wakayama Electric Railway was originally operating at a loss. As the fame of the cat stationmaster grew, and the railway seized the opportunity to launch themed trains such as the Cat Train, Strawberry Train, and Toy Train, it began to turn losses into profits.

The cat stationmaster is named “TAMA” (Tama-chan), serving at Kishi Station, which is designed with a cat theme—the exterior resembles a cat’s face. Since Tama is a cat raised by the small mountain shop next to the station, she usually curls up in the cat bed beside the shop, where the public can see her through transparent glass. Now 13 years old, Tama is a female cat who goes to “work” with the shop owner every day and “commutes” back home after the shop closes.

A wide range of merchandise related to the cat stationmaster Tama is sold at the station and the Yamashita Shop. Passengers can also pay 100 yen to draw a fortune slip to see how their day will go—and the fortunes are interpreted in “cat language,” with every sentence ending in a cute “meow,” making them very endearing. The station also displays rows of glass cases showcasing her certificates and belongings, including the 2007 appointment letter promoting her to stationmaster and the thank-you letter when she became an executive director.