Nitama

Nitama — whose name means "Tama II" — is the calico cat who succeeded the legendary Tama as stationmaster of Kishi Station on the Wakayama Electric Railway in Japan. The original Tama had been appointed stationmaster in 2007 and became a national phenomenon, drawing tourists from across the world and reviving the fortunes of a struggling rural line. After years of training as Tama's apprentice and serving at nearby Idakiso Station, Nitama formally took over as stationmaster following Tama's death in 2015, donning the same little peaked cap and presiding over the cat-themed station from a special booth. Like her predecessor she has become a beloved local institution and tourist draw, greeting visitors, posing for photographs and continuing the railway's tradition of feline management. Her appointment ensured that the remarkable economic and cultural success Tama brought to the line — credited with billions of yen in tourism revenue — would carry on.