Train stationmaster Cat ’Nitama’ dies in Japan, more than 500 attend funeral

Train stationmaster Cat ’Nitama’ dies in Japan, more than 500 attend funeral

Mangalore Today News Network

Japan, December 16, 2025: More than 500 mourners attended a funeral for Nitama, a beloved calico cat who served as the feline stationmaster for the Kishi Station in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture in Japan. Nitama, who oversaw the Kishigawa Line operated by Wakayama Electric Railway Co., passed away on November 20 at the age of 15 after her health began deteriorating in late October.

The railway company posthumously commemorated Nitama as the "Honorary Special Stationmaster". She was appointed as the feline stationmaster in 2015 after the death of Tama, another calico who took on the title, created to help advertise the financially struggling rail line, as per a report in The Japan News.

"She worked diligently and provided irreplaceable comfort. Nitama, please watch over Wakayama Electric Railway from heaven alongside Stationmaster Tama," said Mitsunobu Kojima, president of Wakayama Electric Railway and chairman of the funeral committee.

Fans of the cat and the railway line travelled from across the country to watch the funeral proceedings. After the rituals, people stood in front of a portrait of Nitama and prayed for a peaceful afterlife for her. Others placed bouquets and cat food in a memorial altar set up at the station.

Nitama And Tama

Born in Okayama City, roughly 250 kilometres from Wakayama, Nitama was adopted by the railway after being rescued from beneath a car on a rainy day. Before serving as a stationmaster at Kishi, Nitama worked as a stationmaster at Idakiso Station, further along the same track.

"The reason I appointed Nitama as a successor to Tama is that she had teaching experience from Tama directly," said Mitsunobu in 2015. "Tama was very mild and she seldom got angry, though she was strict with her subordinate Nitama."

While Nitama’s specific financial impact remains under wraps, her predecessor, Tama, generated $9.2 million in her first year and boosted ridership by 17 per cent overall, according to CNN.