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Japan has many celebricats, and Wakayama Prefecture’s fuzzy train station master Tama is one of them. Tama serves as a station master together with her apprentice Nitama at Kishi Station along Wakayama Dentetsu’s Kishigawa Line.

Not only does Ultra Station Master Tama have an idol-like presence in Wakayama, she also has her own themed cafe, and a train created in her name, the Tama-densha (Tama Train). More pictures of the cat train after the jump!

Tama made her debut as a station master in 2008. The following year, after her big break, Wakayama Dentetsu redecorated one of their trains to create the Tama-densha. With its cat ears and decorations, this train is simply a delight to behold, and worth a trip all of its own.

▼ The original Tama-densha.

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▼ Upgraded with ears, and its air conditioner exterior unit cover painted to look like the station master’s hat!


▼ Even the inside is fully detailed with kitty stuff!



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▼ There’s an exclusive seat for Tama too.

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Apart from the Tama Train, Wakayama Dentetsu has two other uniquely revamped trains in their fleet, the Ichigo-densha (Strawberry Train) and the Omocha-densha (Toy Train).

▼ The Ichigo-densha was the first themed train, introduced in August 2006.

▼ Strawberries were chosen as the design motif as strawberries are a famous local produce in the areas surrounding Kishi Station.

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▼ The Omocha-densha, or more lovingly called Omo-den, made its debut in July 2007.

▼ It has gashapon machines and a toy gallery on board!



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Wakayama may not have as many famous sightseeing spots as its neighboring prefectures Osaka or Nara, but they definitely have cuter trains there!

Source: Zhaizhai News
Images: Twitter (@mayria), Wikimedia Commons