Kishi Station (Wakayama)
Kishi Station 貴志駅 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kishi Station in August 2010 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Kishigawacho Kodo, Kinokawa-shi, Wakayama-ken 640-0413 Japan | ||||
| Coordinates | 34°12′35″N 135°18′43″E / 34.2096°N 135.3120°E | ||||
| Operated by |  Wakayama Electric Railway | ||||
| Line(s) | ■ Kishigawa Line | ||||
| Distance | 14.3 km from Wakayama | ||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||
| Construction | |||||
| Structure type | At-grade | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Status | Staffed | ||||
| Station code | 14 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 18 August 1933 | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| FY2017 | 1397 per day[1] | ||||
| |||||
Kishi Station (貴志駅, Kishi-eki) is a passenger railway station in located in the city of Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway company Wakayama Electric Railway.
Lines
[edit]Kishi Station is a terminal station of the Kishigawa Line, and is located 14.3 kilometers from the opposing terminus of the line at Wakayama Station.
Station layout
[edit]The station consists of one deadheaded side platform serving a single bi-directional track. The station is staffed and managed by a cat.
Adjacent stations
[edit]| « | Service | » | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kishigawa Line | ||||
| Kanrojimae | Local | Terminus | ||
History
[edit]
Kishi Station opened on August 18, 1933. On February 1, 2010, the 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.[2]
Kishi Station was known for Tama the stationmaster cat, who became the mascot for the station until she died in June 2015.[3] The cat held the official position as Super Station Master.[4][5] Tama was succeeded as Station Master by another cat, named Nitama.[6]
Since renovation, the station is housed in a cat-face-shaped building, with a Tama-theme cafe, with cat theme chairs and cakes. There is a souvenir shop with a wide range of stationery (pens, staplers and others) and Kishi Station uniforms. The Wakayama Electric Railway operates three cat-themed trains: Strawberry, Tama, and Toy.[7] The feline stationmaster works on Friday–Tuesday (10am–4pm) and is off duty on Wednesday and Thursday.
Passenger statistics
[edit]| Ridership per day [1] | |
|---|---|
| Year | Ridership |
| 2011 | 1,345 |
| 2012 | 1,340 |
| 2013 | 1,427 |
| 2014 | 1,415 |
| 2015 | 1,507 |
| 2016 | 1,425 |
| 2017 | 1,397 |
| 2018 | 1,358 |
| 2019 | 1,273 |
| 2020 | 1,212 |
| 2021 | 1,174 |
| 2022 | 1,132 |
Gallery
[edit]-
The renovated platform with a Shinto shrine on the left, August 2010
Surrounding Area
[edit]- former Kishigawa Town Hall
- Kinokawa City Nakatakashi Elementary School
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "国土数値情報 駅別乗降客数データ" (in Japanese). MLIT. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ "Cat 'stationmaster' gets promoted to executive post at railway company - the Mainichi Daily News". Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
- ^ 「たま駅長」死ぬ―和歌山電鉄の名物駅長、心不全で １６歳、人間なら８０歳 ２８日に社葬 [Stationmaster Tama dies at age of 16]. Sankei West (in Japanese). Japan: The Sankei Shimbun & Sankei Digital. 2015-06-24. Archived from the original on 2015-06-24. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
- ^ "Tama the station cat brings passengers to Kishikawa railway line." Times Online. May 27, 2008.
- ^ Lah, Kyung. "Cat in hat makes $10 million for town." CNN. October 29, 2008.
- ^ Wong, Maggie Hiufu (2015-08-24). "Meet Nitama, the new cat in charge at Japan's Kishi Station". CNN.
- ^ Wong, Hiufu (24 May 2013). "The cat that saved a Japanese train station: Meet Tama, Japan's cutest stationmaster, and her adorable cat-shaped station home". CNN Travel. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Kishi Station (Wakayama) at Wikimedia Commons
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