In order to bolster its waning popularity as a travel hub, Japan’s Kishigawa Train Line appointed a cat named Tama as its new station master in 2007, leading to a huge spike in popularity as a tourist destination. In 2010 a second cat was hired to “assist” Tama with her duties.

Station Master Tama The Cat

Today I want to introduce a special spot in Japan that is a must-visit for cat lovers!

Of course, there’s Cat Island, but have you heard of the only cat station master in Japan?

The Super Station Master Tama is a cat!

In Japan even cats can become a station master it seems! Don’t worry! This is not very common. In fact, you’ll only find the fluffy staff member at JR Kishi Station, Kinokawa in Wakayama Prefecture (map).

How a cat became a station master:

Japan has a prefecture popularity list and a few years ago Wakayama was pretty much at the bottom of the list. This is something I can’t really understand. I’ve been to all 47 Japanese prefectures and I like Wakayama Prefecture. Apart from Shirahama and Kumano Kodo it als… Continue Reading (2 minute read)