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Cat station master sees kids prepare for 'Tanabata'

WAKAYAMA, Japan - Cat station master "Tama" of Wakayama Electric Railway Co.'s Kishi Station on Kishigawa Line attends an event on July 5, 2014, in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, in which nursery school children adorn bamboo branches with strips of paper before the July 7 "Tanabata" festival.

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Cat station master 'Tama' with children

WAKAYAMA, Japan - Cat station master "Tama" of Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line of Wakayama Electric Railway Co. is seen with nursery school children in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, on July 5, 2014.

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Station cat

WAKAYAMA, Japan - Tama, a cat "station master" at Wakayama Electric Railway Co.'s Kishi Station, is held by company President Mitsunobu Kojima during a ceremony at the station in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on Jan. 5, 2014, to mark seven years since the feline "took office." Her promotion to become "ultra" station master to head 14 stations on the railway's Kishigawa Line was announced at the ceremony.

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Station cat

WAKAYAMA, Japan - Tama, a cat "station master" at Wakayama Electric Railway Co.'s Kishi Station, is presented with a new station master's cap during a ceremony at the station in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on Jan. 5, 2014, to mark seven years since the feline "took office," as her promotion to become "ultra" station master to head 14 stations on the railway's Kishigawa Line was announced.

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Railway unveils new 'cat stationmaster' building

WAKAYAMA, Japan - Wakayama Electric Railway Co. President Mitsunobu Kojima holds Tama, the ''stationmaster'' of Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line in Wakayama Prefecture on Aug. 4, 2010. The company unveiled a station building which has a cat-shaped exterior and decorations of Tama, who has attracted tourists from across Japan.

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Railway unveils new 'cat stationmaster' building

WAKAYAMA, Japan - People gather at the newly renovated Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line, famous for its cat ''stationmaster'' Tama, in Wakayama Prefecture on Aug. 4, 2010. Wakayama Electric Railway Co. unveiled the building which has a cat-shaped exterior and an interior with decorations of Tama, who has attracted tourists from across Japan.

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Train displaying toys starts operations in Wakayama

WAKAYAMA, Japan - Photo shows a two-car train that displays more than 100 toys including figures of various animation characters put in service by Wakayama Electric Railway Co. on July 29. The ''Omoden'' train, which shuttles between Wakayama and Kishi stations on the Kishigawa line, is equipped with several vending machines for the figures and other toys including toy trains.

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Train displaying toys starts operations in Wakayama

WAKAYAMA, Japan - Photo shows a two-car train that displays more than 100 toys including figures of various animation characters put in service by Wakayama Electric Railway Co. on July 29. The ''Omoden'' train, which shuttles between Wakayama and Kishi stations on the Kishigawa line, is equipped with several vending machines for the figures and other toys including toy trains. (Kyodo)

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Japanese prefecture inducts late "stationmaster cat" into Hall of Fame

Tama, honorary stationmaster of Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line of Wakayama Electric Railway Co. in western Japan, attends an event at her station in January 2013. Wakayama Prefecture inducted Tama, who died in June 2015 after bringing attention to the struggling railway line, into its newly established Hall of Fame on Feb. 2, 2016. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japan railway appoints another cat to succeed Tama the stationmaster

Girls offer prayers to the Tama Shrine at Kishi Station of Wakayama Electric Railway Co. in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan on Aug. 11, 2015. It is a Shinto shrine that enshrines Tama, a cat that served as stationmaster of the station before dying in June 2015, as a deity protecting the once-money-losing Kishigawa Line, as the cat is credited with rescuing the railway from financial difficulties. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Funeral service for stationmaster cat Tama

A girl offers flowers in front of photos of Tama, the popular calico cat stationmaster, at Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line of Wakayama Electric Railway Co. in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on June 28, 2015. The company gave Tama the title of "honorary permanent stationmaster" and held a funeral service for her contribution to saving the line from financial ruin. Tama died on June 22 at the age of 16 years, equivalent to about 80 human years. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Funeral service for stationmaster cat Tama

People offer prayers in front of photos of Tama, the popular calico cat stationmaster, at Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line of Wakayama Electric Railway Co. in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on June 28, 2015. The company gave Tama the title of "honorary permanent stationmaster" and held a funeral service for her contribution to saving the line from financial ruin. Tama died on June 22 at the age of 16 years, equivalent to about 80 human years. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Funeral service for stationmaster cat Tama

People offer prayers in front of photos of Tama, the popular calico cat stationmaster, at Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line of Wakayama Electric Railway Co. in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on June 28, 2015. The company gave Tama the title of "honorary permanent stationmaster" and held a funeral service for her contribution to saving the line from financial ruin. Tama died on June 22 at the age of 16 years, equivalent to about 80 human years. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Railway unveils new 'cat stationmaster' building

WAKAYAMA, Japan - Wakayama Electric Railway Co. President Mitsunobu Kojima holds Tama, the ''stationmaster'' of Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line in Wakayama Prefecture on Aug. 4, 2010. The company unveiled a station building which has a cat-shaped exterior and decorations of Tama, who has attracted tourists from across Japan. (Kyodo)

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Railway unveils new 'cat stationmaster' building

WAKAYAMA, Japan - People gather at the newly renovated Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line, famous for its cat ''stationmaster'' Tama, in Wakayama Prefecture on Aug. 4, 2010. Wakayama Electric Railway Co. unveiled the building which has a cat-shaped exterior and an interior with decorations of Tama, who has attracted tourists from across Japan. (Kyodo)

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Cat station master sees kids prepare for 'Tanabata'

WAKAYAMA, Japan - Cat station master "Tama" of Wakayama Electric Railway Co.'s Kishi Station on Kishigawa Line attends an event on July 5, 2014, in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, in which nursery school children adorn bamboo branches with strips of paper before the July 7 "Tanabata" festival. (Kyodo)

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Stationmaster cat in western Japan

Nitama, a cat who serves as a stationmaster at Kishi Station of Wakayama Electric Railway's Kishigawa Line in Wakayama Prefecture, is pictured next to a photo of her predecessor Tama in August 2015. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Cat stationmaster joins Tanabata Festival

Cat stationmaster Nitama joins a group of kindergarten kids to decorate a train cabin with dwarf bamboo as part of the annual Tanabata Festival on July 5, 2017. The Wakayama Electric Railway Co. train runs on the Kishigawa Line connecting the western Japan cities of Wakayama and Kinokawa. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Cat stationmaster joins Tanabata Festival

Cat stationmaster Nitama (back) joins a group of kindergarten kids to decorate a train cabin with dwarf bamboo as part of the annual Tanabata Festival on July 5, 2017. The Wakayama Electric Railway Co. train runs on the Kishigawa Line connecting the western Japan cities of Wakayama and Kinokawa. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japanese railway commemorates 10th anniversary of cat stationmaster

Yontama (L), an 8-month-old calico cat, receives a letter of appointment from Wakayama Electric Railway Co. on Jan. 5, 2017, making it an apprentice stationmaster at Idakiso Station on the Kishigawa Line. Nitama (R), a cat stationmaster at Kishi Station, held by Mitsunobu Kojima, president of the railway operator, also attended the event held at Kishi Station in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, which included a ceremony to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the appointing of Tama, the first feline stationmaster at Kishi Station. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japan's stationmaster cat attends lighting ceremony in Santa costume

Nitama, a "stationmaster cat" at Kishi Station in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, attends a ceremony in Santa Claus costume to illuminate the station building and platform with LEDs on Nov. 26, 2016. The lighting ceremony has been held for 10 straight years by local residents wishing for continued service on the Kishigawa Line of Wakayama Electric Railway Co. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo