17% more riders, ¥1.1 billion richer: the stray cat behind it all

A rural railway on the edge of closure, a stray cat with nowhere in particular to be, and a decision made mostly out of necessity — that combination ended up reshaping a corner of Japan’s tourism industry. The Kishigawa Line, in Wakayama Prefecture, had been bleeding passengers for years before Wakayama Electric Railway took over its operations in 2006.

Rather than commit to an expensive overhaul, the railway looked to a stray calico cat that already lived around Kishi Station and was familiar to nearby residents. In 2007, company president Misutaka Kojima appointed her honorary station master, gave her a custom-made cap, and put her to work greeting passengers as they moved through the station.

The results arrived fast. According to Wakayama Electric Railway, ridership rose 17% in the cat’s first year on the job, as fans of the newly named Tama travelled from across Japan and overseas to meet her. Local shops and restaurants near the station reported a matching jump in foot traffic.

Professor Katsuhiro Miyamoto of Kansai University later put a number on the phenomenon, estimating that Tama’s popularity generated roughly ¥1.1 billion in economic activity in her first year, spanning ticket sales, merchandise, tourism spending and other regional business tied to her fame. The railway capitalised on the moment with Tama-branded trains and merchandise, and eventually rebuilt Kishi Station with a roof modelled after a cat’s face.

Tama went on to receive a further promotion, to Operating Officer of the railway, and her case, now referred to as the ‘Tama effect,’ remains a reference point for tourism researchers studying low-cost, story-driven place branding. Following her death in 2015, thousands attended memorial events in her honour, including a traditional Shinto ceremony, after which she was memorialised at a local shrine.

Wikimedia Commons/by Sanpei