Friday Funny: Cat Key to Town's Economic Development

A stray cat born and raised at a Japanese train station has been named its official stationmaster -- and become a tourist attraction that's successfully boosted the local economy by more than $10 million.

1 minute read

October 10, 2008, 2:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg

"It is rather Tama's irresistible charm which has brought tourists flocking in their thousands to the western city of Kinokawa to see the feline worker patrolling in the uniform of her office -- a Wakayama Electric Railway cap."

"With 55,000 more people having used the Kishigawa Line than would normally be expected, Tama is being credited with a contribution to the local economy calculated to have reached as much as 1.1 billion yen (10.44 million dollars) in 2007 alone, according to a study announced last week."

Thanks to Cate Miller

FULL STORY: Tama is the purr-fect antidote to financial gloom: study

Sunday, October 5, 2008 in AFP

Community / Economic Development Humor Asia-Pacific Tourism Japan Cat View More

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