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KINOKAWA, Wakayama Prefecture--Yontama, an 8-month-old female calico cat, has all the markings of a great stationmaster.
Some, railroad fans as well as cat lovers, say she might even be the cat's whiskers, such was her performance on her first day of on-the-job training here Jan. 5 to greet travelers when they arrive.
Yontama, the latest mascot of the Kishigawa Line operated by Wakayama Electric Railway Co., will act as a stand-in stationmaster when Nitama, the successor to the great stationmaster Tama, takes days off.
Yontama, left, who is expected to work as stationmaster under training, and Nitama, who is in charge of training Yontama during the apprenticeship, in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on Jan. 5Photo: Ryo Sanada
Yontama started her day with an official letter of appointment from Mitsunobu Kojima, the president of Wakayama Electric Railway.
The late Tama was named stationmaster in 2007 and was eventually promoted to acting president. Tama, always decked out in a tiny stationmaster's cap, was renowned across Japan and gained global exposure through guidebooks, publications and TV appearances.
People flocked to Kishi Station to see the feline star, who died in June 2015 at the age of 16. Nitama, now 6 years old and also female, used to act as Tama’s subordinate.
Yontama, who is expected to work as an apprentice for Wakayama Electric Railway Co., in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on Jan. 5 Photo: Ryo Sanada
She took over as the second-generation stationmaster on Aug. 11, 2015.
Yontama is scheduled to work as an apprentice at Idakiso Station, also on the Kishigawa Line in Wakayama, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, which are Nitama’s official holidays.
Tama was so popular that an estimated 3,000 people visited Kishi Station to attend her funeral.
