Japanese Railway Appoints Second Cat Stationmaster

Japanese Railway Appoints Second Cat Stationmaster

Japanese rail operators Wakayama Electric Railway Co. suffered a crushing loss recently, with the passing of one of its most famous stationmasters — Tama the cat — who died in June.

After a period of mourning, Tama’s successor has now been appointed, with her subordinate Nitama, another tortoiseshell feline, winning the promotion. Nitama (“Tama the Second”). And yes, this is all totally serious.

The cute stunt, which saw her decked out in an official uniform and adorable hat, saw passenger numbers leap by almost 20 percent as people traveled to meet the celebrity cat. The local economy was boosted by �1.1bn (�5.7m) as a result.

Wakayama, now back in profit, even redecorated one of its trains, covering it with cartoon decals of Tama. Nitama marked her new role by visiting the shrine, held by Wakayama president Mitsunobu Kojima. Nitama paid her respects, offered prayers to Tama, and reported her promotion to the newly deified predecessor. She wasn’t alone — locals flooded the new shrine, filling it with flowers and traditional offerings.

“Tama-chan really emerged like a savior, a goddess. It was truly my honour to have been able to work with her,” said Kojima. “I hope (Nitama) will contribute to boosting local sightseeing and other businesses.” Nitama will now take up Tama’s duties of greeting passengers at Kishi station, and presumably taking a personal role in pest control.

Japan is no stranger to staffing its train stations with animals. In 2010, Hojo Railway Company appointed monkeys Nehime and Rakan, while Yorkshire Terrier Maron ran Okunakayama-Kougen station and Koma, a goat governed Uzen-Komatsu.

The video shows Kojima officially bestowed Nitama�s new position upon her in a ceremony held in front of members of the press.

If you are in search of a stationmaster for your home, head over to http://PetFinder.my for thousands of adorable felines!

Source: http://bit.ly/1Exalpf

Source: https://www.facebook.com/PetFinder.my/videos/963639077015049..

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