Tama the stationmaster, Japan's feline star of a struggling local railway, has been mourned by company officials and fans and elevated into a goddess at a funeral.
The calico cat was appointed stationmaster at the Kishi station in western Japan in 2007. In her custom-made stationmaster's cap and a jacket, Tama quietly sat at the ticket gate welcoming and seeing off passengers. She quickly attracted tourists and became world-famous, contributing to the railway company and local economy.
Tama died of a heart failure on June 22. During Sunday's Shinto-style funeral at the station where it served, the cat was made a goddess.
Wakayama Electric Railway President Mitsunobu Kojima thanked the cat for its achievement, and said Tama will be enshrined at a nearby cat shrine next month.
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.
You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
