is a train station in Kinokawa

Kinokawa, Wakayama

is a city located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.As of April 30, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 67,835 with 25,607 households and a population density of 297.21 persons per km²...

, Wakayama Prefecture

Wakayama Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It is a station along the Kishigawa Line of the Wakayama Electric Railway.

Kishi Station is known for Tama the Station Cat

Tama (cat)

is a calico cat who is the station master and operating officer at Kishi Station in Kinokawa, Wakayama, Japan.In April 2006, the Wakayama Electric Railway converted all stations on the Kishigawa Line from manned to unmanned in an effort to cut costs. Station masters were selected from employees of...

, a female cat which became the mascot

Mascot

The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...

for the station. The cat holds the official position as Super Station Master.

In 2010, Tama was promoted. She is now a corporate executive at the Wakayama Railway, introduced in that position on the company's web site in January. The rise in station use is credited to Tama.

On February 1, 2010, the existing Kishi Station building was closed and demolished. Construction began on a new station facility in March, with the cat-themed new complex opened in July.