Wakayama Electric Railway (和歌山電鐵, Wakayama Dentetsu) is a private railway line that operates just one 14.3 km (8.9 mile) train line, the Kishigawa Line (貴志川線, Kishigawa-sen), between Wakayama and Kishi stations [1]. In Japan, small and short railway lines are not profitable due to the dwindling population outside the cities, and many of these lines have closed. However, this small line is open and operates profitably today because of a cat. I took the Tamadensha train (aka "Cat Train") for a visit on 23 Oct 2018.
Please read the rest of the article to find out more about this unique railway and its now famous cat station master, and to see more photographs.
 |
| Tamadensha Car 1 Exterior |
Station Master Tama
Depopulation of the areas outside of Japanese cities has caused vital small and short railway lines to lose daily customers over time. However, these small lines are vitally important to the local residents since the train is their only means of convenient transportation to go to work, school, and to shop. Fewer customers means less revenue for the railway company. The Kishigawa Line was once part of a larger network owned by Nankai Electric Railway (one of the major private rail companies in Japan) before the money losing line was closed and then acquired by Wakayama Electric Railway [2,3]. Acquiring a single and small money losing rail line, and having it as your only major asset, is usually not a prescription for business success.
 |
| Tamadensha Car 2 Exterior |
The terminus, Kishi station, was in danger of closure for the same reason. However, due to citizen protests, the station was kept open. One strategy to keep Kishi station and all stations on the Kishigawa line open, was to remove staff from the stations to save money and to appoint "honorary" (i.e. voluntary and informal) station masters from the local business community for each station. The informal station master for Kishi station and passengers had been feeding a group of stray cats that used to live close to the station. One of the cats was adopted by the informal station master and that cat, named Tama, would become the cat that saved the railway [4].
 |
| Tamadensha Car Interior |
The President of Wakayama Electric Railway needed to do something that would make the company stand out from all the other private railways and improve the fortunes of the railroad. He decided to make Tama the official station master for Kishi station, actually making Tama an employee. Up to this time, no cat (or any other animal) had ever been "employed" by a railway company. Tama's only duties were to greet customers from a custom made "office" (actually a converted ticket booth) at Kishi station. Tama's salary was paid in cat food.
 |
| Tamadensha Car Library |
The publicity surrounding Tama's appointment caused the once money losing line to experience an increase in train ridership and an overall boost to the local economy. The once empty trains became occupied with visitors taking the train to Kishi station to see the feline station master. Not only did the visitors fill the trains, they also bought Tama branded goods, ate at Kishi station's Tama Café, and were also encouraged to make (and made) stops along the other 12 stations on the Kishigawa Line. Tama had jump started the local economy in the midst of the 2008 global recession, contributing an estimated ¥1.1 billion (approximately $10 million) to the local economy [4]. This effect did not go unnoticed, as other Japanese companies have copied Wakayama Electric's example and there are now other cat (and other animal) mascots. With profitability, has come improvements to the line's infrastructure. The most notable being the introduction of the cat themed train, Tamadensha ("Tama Train"), other themed trains, and the remodeling to Kishi station.
 |
| Tamadensha Cat Seats |
Sadly, Tama passed away in 2015. Thousands of fans from across Japan came to pay their respects. Tama was given a Shinto-style funeral, is now enshrined at a Shinto cat shrine next to Kishi station as the spirit goddess Tama Daimyōjin (たま大明神), and has been given the title of "Honorary Eternal Stationmaster" [4]. Tama's duties are now assumed by two cats, Nitama (ニタマ, "Second Tama"; another rescued and adopted cat) and Yontama (よんたま, "Fourth Tama").
 |
| Tamadensha Cat Seats |
Visiting Kishi Station
Nitama and Yontama have working hours and days off, just like any other employee of Wakayama Electric Railway. The current working schedules for the station masters can be found at:
As of the writing of this article, the station masters' hours are from 10:00-16:00, with differing days off. There's always a feline station master at Kishi station. Nitama works exclusively at Kishi station. Yontama mainly works at Idakiso station, with Wednesdays and Thursdays at Kishi station when Nitama has the days off.
 |
| Tamadensha Car Doors |
Tamadensha is just one of the themed trains that Wakayama Electric Railway runs to Kishi station from Wakayama. The other themed trains are the Strawberry (Ichigo), the Toys (Omoden), and the Plum (Umeboshi), which run in addition to the normal (unthemed) train. Consult the train schedule to choose the themed train to take to Kishi station at:
Note that this link is on the railway's Japanese website and that the schedules are for the current two months only.
- Tip: I would urge you to take a Tamadensha train from Wakayama that arrives at Kishi station as close as possible to the 10:00 work start time for the feline station masters. The reason for this advice is because of the tour groups that visit Kishi station, which makes the Tamadensha train crowded with visitors. The Tamadensha train I took was almost empty leaving Wakayama station, allowing for great photo opportunities in the rail cars, but that only lasted a few station before a (loud) tour group boarded the small two car train, filling every seat.
 |
| Tamadensha Poster |
The Tamadensha train not only has an external cat theme with Tama the cat designs, the inside of the train also has similar touches. You'll find Tama designs everywhere from the shades, to the walls, and even the seats in the shape of a cat. This makes the train a hit with children (and adults), and there's even a library in one of the cars. It is a fun trip to take this train, not only for the experience of taking the train, but also for the people watching the passengers (especially the children having fun on the cat train!).
If you're staying in Osaka or Kyoto, the trip to Kishi station can take up to two hours when using a Japan Rail (JR) Limited Express train to Wakayama station, where you transfer to the Wakayama Electric Railway's Kishigawa Line. At Wakayama station, use the underground passage and walk to Platform 9 to buy a ticket. The rail trip to Wakayama station is covered by the JR Pass. The Kishigawa Line is a private rail line, so the JR Pass is not valid, and you must buy a ticket at Wakayama station's Platform 9 before boarding the train to Kishi.
If you originate at Wakayama station, there is no direct entrance or exit to the private rail Kishigawa Line. You must enter JR Wakayama station's West or East entrances and tell the JR station attendant that you want to go to Kishi station. The JR attendant will allow you to enter the station without a ticket (do not use the automated wicket!) and you then walk to Platform 9 using the underground passage to buy a ticket. You can follow Tama's cat paw stickers to Platform 9!
- Tip: Telling the JR station attendant at Wakayama station that you want to go to Kishi station is not explicitly called out on Wakayama Electric's web page or are there any signs posted at Wakayama station, so you just have to know to ask to enter the station to get to Platform 9 to take the Tamadensha train.
At Platform 9, Wakayama Electric Railway has a ticket booth. The one-way fare to Kishi from Wakayama station is ¥400 (¥800 round-trip). There is a special one-day pass for ¥780, that allows you to get on- and off the train at any station along the Kishigawa Line. The one-day pass saves ¥20 off the round trip fare to Kishi station, and saves even more money if you plan to visit other sights along the rail line. The trip to Kishi station takes around 30 minutes. When you return to Wakayama station from Kishi, the Wakayama Electric Platform 9 station attendant will give you a ticket that you insert into the automated wicket to exit JR Wakayama station.
 |
| Kishi Station |
At Kishi Station
The highlight of a visit to Kishi station is seeing the feline station master. The day I went, Nitama just came on duty at 10:00 to greet visitors. Nitama was in its office, a glass covered converted ticket booth in the passageway through the station. The cat was, of course, the center of attention, which made taking pictures through the gathered crowd a problem. Do not worry, after the initial flurry of picture taking after a train arrives, the space in front of the feline station master's office becomes surprisingly empty, as everyone has exhausted their picture taking and have gone off to do other things. There are rules you must follow to take pictures, the more prominent ones are do not tap on the glass and do not use a flash to take pictures. So before you go, make sure you have turned off the flash on your camera/phone.
 |
| Station Master Nitama Posing For Photos |
Take a walk outside the station to view the design of the remodeled station. Looking at the front of the station, you will see that the station was designed to resemble a cat head! When looking at the front of the station, the Shinto cat shrine to Tama is off the the left, and the bathrooms are off to the right of the station. The gift shop is inside to the left, and the Tama Café is inside on the right. You can buy Tama themed items at the gift shop and get something to eat at the Tama Café. The cafe's design carries on with the cat theme and even the chairs have a cat design.
 |
| Kishi Station Tama Cafe |
One more thing that you will notice about this station, which is common for most small sized train stations, is that there is no automated wicket, in fact there's no wicket at all! At such small stations, a station attendant checks the tickets. For unmanned stations, you will find that tickets are checked by the train engineer or conductor as you get off the train (not the case for this station).
 |
| Kishi Station Tama Clock |
Summary
If you are a cat or train fan (or even both), or if you are interested in experiencing something that is uniquely Japanese, taking a ride on the cat themed Tamadensha train to visit Station Master Nitama or Yontama at Kishi station is worth the 30 minute trip from Wakayama station. It is a great opportunity to people watch other tourist and Japanese (especially the kids) as they have fun on the cat train.
Visiting Station Master Nitama and Access
Access:
- The rail trip to Wakayama Station is fully covered by the JR Pass.
- Japan Rail Pass (7-, 14-, 21-day):
- Valid for travel throughout Japan on Japan Rail (with some exceptions).
- Purchase outside of Japan. Must show passport and have a short-term (90 day) visitor's stamp to redeem at selected airports and rail stations. (This is changing)
- Once activated, must be used on consecutive days (i.e. cannot skip days).
- Website: https://japanrailpass.net/en/.
- Take a JR limited express train to Wakayama station from Osaka or Kyoto. The total trip to Kishi station can take up to two hours by the JR Limited Express Kuroshio train (plus a special rapid train if coming from Kyoto).
- From Osaka (Shin-Osaka Station):
- ¥2210 (Non-Reserved)
- ¥2930 (Reserved)
- ¥3490 (Green Seat)
- From Kyoto:
- ¥2810 (Non-Reserved)
- ¥3530 (Reserved)
- ¥4090 (Green Seat)
- Transfer at Wakayama station and use the underground passageway to walk to Platform 9, where you can buy a ticket for Wakayama Electric Railway's Kishigawa Line to Kishi station.
- If you start at Wakayama station, tell the JR station attendant that you want to go to Kishi station and you will be allowed to enter Wakayama station without a ticket to walk to Platform 9.
- Buy a ticket at Wakayama Electric's Platform 9 ticket booth to take the Tamadensha train (aka the "Cat Train") to Kishi Station.
- One-Day Pass: ¥780.
- The train fare is not covered by the JR Rail Pass.
- Note that only certain trains to Kishi Station are the "Cat Train", so consult the Wakayama Electric Railway train schedule link below to find out the "Cat Train" schedule.
- Fares are valid as of the visit date and are subject to change.
Kishi Station Hours:
- Visit and take pictures of Nitama or Yontama in their glass enclosed office everyday from 10:00-16:00. Consult the Wakayama Electric Railway website for the feline station master's schedule.
- Take a walk outside the front of the station to see the cat head design of the station and to visit the Shinto shrine to Tama, the first feline station master.
- Get Tama branded souvenirs at the gift shop and have a snack at the Tama Cafe.
Websites:
- Plan your rail trip using Navitime:
- Website:
- Get the app for real time scheduling on your mobile phone when traveling in Japan.
- Android:
- Apple:
- Website:
- Get the app for real time scheduling on your mobile phone when traveling in Japan.
- Android:
- Apple:
- Japan Rail Pass (7-, 14-, 21-day):
- Find the feline station master's schedule and Kishigawa Line information at Wakayama Electric Railway website:
- Get the Wakayama Electric Railway train schedules at (Japanese):
References
[1] Japan Visitor. "Wakayama Electric Railway." Last accessed: 01 Jan 2019. https://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-transport/wakayama-dentetsu.
[2] Wikipedia. "Kishigawa Line." Last updated: 04 Dec 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kishigawa_Line.
[3] CNN Travel. "The cat that saved a Japanese train station." Last updated: 24 May 2013. http://travel.cnn.com/cat-saves-japanese-train-station-586471/.
[4] Wikipedia. "Tama (cat)." Last updated: 16 Nov 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tama_(cat).
Support
- I hope you're enjoying these posts. If you're enjoying them, please go to https://www.facebook.com/ducksoupeasytravel/ and give it a like on Facebook.
- Also if you've been following my food blog, please go to https://www.facebook.com/ducksoupeasy/ and give it a like too.
- Thanks for your continued support and comments.
No comments:
Post a Comment