Business Standard

Wednesday, December 25, 2024 | 10:38 PM ISTEN Hindi

Notification Icon
userprofile IconSearch

Japan mourns passing of Tama, the cat stationmaster

Image

AP Tokyo
Tama the stationmaster, Japan's feline star of a struggling local railway, has been mourned by company officials and fans and elevated into a goddess at a funeral.

The calico cat was appointed stationmaster at the Kishi station in western Japan in 2007. In her custom-made stationmaster's cap and a jacket, Tama quietly sat at the ticket gate welcoming and seeing off passengers.

She quickly attracted tourists and became world-famous, contributing to the railway company and local economy.

Tama died of a heart failure on June 22. During today's Shinto-style funeral at the station where it served, the cat was made a goddess.
 

Wakayama Electric Railway President Mitsunobu Kojima thanked the cat for its achievement, and said Tama will be enshrined at a nearby cat shrine next month.

Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel

First Published: Jun 28 2015 | 2:28 PM IST

Explore News