Trains in Japan are safe, clean, comfortable and punctual.. Rail services in Japan are provided by more than 100 companies, including Japan Railway Group, private rail companies and third sector companies. The new stationmaster Nitama was born in Okayama City. Nitama visited her mentor's shrine with railway boss Mitsunobu Kojima. Kishi Station (貴志駅, Kishi-eki) is a train station on the Kishigawa Line in Kinokawa, Wakayama, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Wakayama Electric Railway.. Kishi Station was known for Tama the stationmaster cat, who became the mascot for the station until she died in June 2015. We visited Tama in 2013 -- read our story here: There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. Nitama, Tama's old assistant stationmaster, has assumed the position, beating several other cat candidates to run Kishi train station in. Kishi's late stationmaster is credited with saving a dying train line on behalf of local residents. Tama is credited with bringing in 1.1 billion yen ($9.2 million) in her first year and increasing passenger numbers by 17% during her tenure. "The reason I appointed Nitama as a successor to Tama is that she had teaching experience from Tama directly," says Mitsunobu. Appointing a promising new stationmaster doesn't mean that Tama will be forgotten. This line wins on a technicality: in 2010 the Tohoku Shinkansen opened and runs for 739.2 kilometers, but one section of this line (from Morioka to Aomori) is run by a non-JR operator, so it's disqualified! Nitama was born in Okayama City, about 250 kilometers from Wakayama. This station is less iconic for the actual station itself than for what is under it. In an effort to raise awareness about stray cats in the area, the Yoro Railway LTD partnered with the Kitten Cafe Sanctuary in Gifu, Japan to create the world’s first rolling cat café on a train. The station had made for this cat a custom hat and jacket, and she acted as if she was the station master. Otaku is the Japanese word for geeky nerd fandom, and although you might think otaku refers only to anime, Akihabara, and electronics, in reality you can be pretty much an otaku about anything.Enter “densha otaku” or “train nerd.” What’s unique about train nerds is their specialization. This is the job description for the role of feline stationmaster at Kishi train station in Wakayama, Japan. Aug 25, 2015 - The cat credited with saving the Kishigwa railway line in Japan, who sadly passed away earlier this year has been replaced... by another cat. Before you ride the rails in Japan, a little preparation will go a long way to making your trip as smooth as possible. Stations often have several exits and are often very large. The event was hosted by Yoro Railway Co Ltd and a non-governmental organization called Kitten Cafe Sanctuary. By Daily Mail Reporter. "We found the suitable stone for a pedestal and a monument," says the company's president. The country as a whole is very proud of the quality of their trains, and this makes a crucial difference to recruitment, operations and efficiency. Though it may be sacrilege to say so, Ino also reveals that Nitama has a reputation as a "beauty cat" compared with Tama. Rail transport in Japan is a major means of passenger transport, especially for mass and high-speed travel between major cities and for commuter transport in urban areas.It is used relatively little for freight transport, accounting for just 0.84% of goods movement. Original article --> http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080525/od_afp/japantourismanimalcatoffbeat Those crazy Japanese...It is a great tourisim idea, though. A loss-making Japanese railway company is back on track thanks to the popularity of a stray cat. Tama worked at Kishi Station on the Kishigawa line for more than nine years before passing away. 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