"Beckoning Cat" for Stationmaster in Japan

It's more than a superstition; it's dead serious. Yes, it is, folks, because so many people believe it works. What is IT?

Come visit a local station in Wakayama to see it all for yourself. Running a station "Kishi" in the Wakayama Electric Railways "Kishigawa LIne" is a cat - yes, a cat named Tama 2nd serving the station in the capacity of Stationmaster.

Before you go any farther, just pose a second to learn something about cats in Japan - their role in Japanese culture. As a catfish foretells the arrival of an earthquake, a cat is counted on "inviting luck" - "maneki neko" or beckoning cat. Stop by a traditional goods shop in Japan, and you are bound to find such a pottery cat atop the shelf with a hand raised on either side beckoning you. That's a customer-inviting cat.
Now, at this Kishi Station, there is a live cat, not pottery, named Tama 2nd visitor-inviting all day long. She was appointed Stationmaster in September 2015 after after the death of her predecessor "Tama".

It sure sounds odd and childish but not at all: people there are dead serious and there are good reasons why. The number of passengers of the line has increased short of 20% after Tama appointment in 2007 and the Kiosk, where by the way Tama was born, has more customers than ever before.

The Kishigawa Line is 14.3 kilometers long linking Wakayama and Kishi in half an hour. They run a variety of cars with charming names like "Strawberry", "Toys", etc. There is one unique train dedicated to Tama with her pictures drawn all over the coaches. Tourists frequent the scenic spots along the line.

Seriously, the Japanese accept animals into their life in somewhat different ways from others in the rest of the world. Lots of stories have been written and legends handed over generations on man's close association with the animal world. They find millions of Gods in Mother Nature; no wonder they associate themselves with animals who are another part of nature - hence Stationmaster Tama 2nd.