tama

Those of you who’ve read RocketNews24 for a while will remember the great and legendary Stationmaster Tama, Japan’s cutest feline stationmaster. Sadly, Tama passed away in June this, just a few short months after celebrating her 16th birthday. Though her replacement, Stationmaster Nitama, has already been appointed, we’ll never forget Tama. And it looks like Wakayama Electric Railway won’t either! The train line recently unveiled its photo exhibit of the cat, available for viewing on the Tama Train.

Is it dusty in here or is it just us? For some reason our eyes are starting to water up…

[tweet https://twitter.com/ekichoTAMA/status/610396612750237696 align=center]

Super Station Master Tama has proven to be an inspiration for Japan, thanks to both her adorable fuzzy face and the tourism she inspired. Some have even credited the cat with demonstrating how rural areas in Japan can adapt to a changing economy and shrinking population. It’s easy to understand why Tama has been celebrated by so many, especially the Wakayama Electric Railway, for whom she was a station master for eight years.

In fact, Tama was even enshrined in a Shinto shrine, called Tama Jinja (or Tama Shrine), in August and given a full Shinto funeral.

▼ A photo of Tama Shrine

[tweet https://twitter.com/ekityoutama/status/640681416557117441 align=center]

But even though Tama can now only watch us as a deity, the train line hasn’t forgotten about her. The Tama Train is still running, in fact, and now the company has even installed a new photo exhibit on the train. The photos, which are printed on large posters, hang from the ceiling like typical train advertisements, filling riders with what we imagine are “oodles and oodles of warm fuzzies.”

▼ Just a few of the photos hanging in the Tama Train.

[tweet https://twitter.com/ekichoTAMA/status/643680664781373440 align=center]

The exhibit will be “open” until November 4 and features images of Tama at birthday celebrations and promotion ceremonies and posing with Nitama. According to Asahi Shinbun, the photos are notable for the wide range of expressions Tama seems to display.

If you haven’t yet made your grand pilgrimage to Wakayama to see Kishi Station, where Tama was the stationmaster, now would be a good time to go. You can enjoy the photo exhibit, pay your respects at the shrine, and say hello to the new stationmaster, Nitama!

Information about riding Tama Train is available on the Wakayama Electric Railway website (link opens a PDF file). The Japanese website is available here.

Sources: Asahi Shinbun, Wakayama Electric Railway
Image: Twitter (@ekichoTAMA)