Japan’s “Tama” & Hong Kong’s “Creamy” – Close-ups of Asia’s Celebrity Cats

The life of a stray cat is often fraught with hardship, but in Japan, there’s a true story of a stray cat becoming a stationmaster. Though she now has to “go to work” daily and sleeps in a cat bed at the station, the comfortable and relaxed working environment has allowed this stray calico cat to live a happy life. But it’s not just the cat who’s happy—so is the Kishigawa Railway she “serves.” Originally a local railway struggling with losses, as the fame of the cat stationmaster grew, and with the railway capitalizing on the trend by launching themed trains like the Cat Train, Strawberry Train, and Toy Train, it began to turn a profit.

The cat stationmaster is named “TAMA” (Tama), serving at Kishi Station, a station designed with cats in mind, its exterior looking like a cat’s face. Since Tama is a cat raised by the owner of the nearby Komagata Shop, she usually curls up in the cat bed next to the shop, where the public can see her through the transparent glass. Now 14 years old, Tama is a female cat who goes to “work” with the shop owner every day and “gets off work” to go home after the shop closes.

A wide range of merchandise related to the cat stationmaster Tama is sold at the station and Komagata Shop. Visitors can also pay 100 yen to draw a fortune slip to see how their day will go, with the fortunes explained in “cat language,” each sentence ending with a cute “meow,” which is very endearing. The station also displays her certificates and items in rows of glass cases, including her 2007 appointment letter as stationmaster and a thank-you letter when she was promoted to executive director.

 

In Hong Kong, a cream-colored British Shorthair cat named “Creamy” from a newsstand in Tsim Tung has long been a beloved and healing celebrity known to all. Not only has she appeared in commercials, but she has also released two solo photo books, and her autograph sessions have drawn huge crowds. With over 140,000 followers on Facebook, Creamy is truly Hong Kong’s number one cat.

Tsim Tung Creamy is the resident cat of the “Shun Wo Store” newsstand at the ground floor of South Ocean Centre in Tsim Tung, Kowloon. Her chubby and adorable appearance is incredibly endearing, and she’s a highly capable shopkeeper who brings in business. She patrols the store from time to time, sometimes lazily lying on the manga rack, dozing off next to the cash register, or peering out at passersby with her big, watery eyes from her little cardboard box. Many people stop to admire her, and fans flock to the small newsstand daily to take photos with Creamy or catch a glimpse of her, often crowding the tiny space. Creamy has expressive features, is unafraid of the camera, and has a star-like personality. Even when faced with large crowds, she remains calm and composed, striking pose after pose whether wearing sunglasses or a hat. Last summer, Creamy went missing for 26 days, prompting multiple newspapers to run front-page stories. She was eventually found by her owner in a nearby parking lot, and her dramatic disappearance only boosted her popularity further.