Station Master Tama Promoted
Two years ago I posted a video about a Japanese cat named Tama, aka the $10 million cat. Tama was just a homeless cat that hung around the local Kishi train station, but quickly became popular among regulars & visitors to the station. Eventually Tama became so big & loved that in 2007 she was named the station master, which drew even bigger crowds to the Kishikawa Line & made Tama a huge tourist attraction.
Well flash-forward three years later to 2010, & Tama has been promoted to corporate executive of the Wakayama Electric Railway Co. Yes, a cat is now a train executive in Japan, though where else would you expect to hear news like this? & as the new photos show, Tama's also gained a bit of weight as well. A translation of the Mainichi JP article can be found below:
The cat has climbed the ladder of success swiftly since she was first appointed as the stationmaster in January 2007. Tama was promoted to “Super Stationmaster” the following year and to corporate executive in a mere three years since her first appointment. Tama is officially introduced as an operating officer on the company’s Web site.
Since the company took over operation of the Kishikawa Line from the Nankai Electric Railway Co. in 2006, annual users have increased by about 300,000 to some 2.2 million. As the company considers Tama has played an important role in increasing passenger numbers, it decided to reward the cat’s contribution with accelerated promotion.
“Tama has also contributed to drawing public attention back to felines as dogs continue to enjoy greater popularity,” said President Mitsunobu Kojima. The railroad company plans to rebuild Kishi Station into the shape of cat’s face this summer.
Source: http://www.alafista.com/2010/01/04/station-master-tama-promoted-to-executive