A former “stationmaster cat” in a rural Japanese town has recently been appointed “chief priest” of a shrine in Kinokawa in Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture.
Nitama, who gained international attention for becoming a stationmaster cat at Kishi Station, was officially given her new role as chief priest of Tama Shrine by Wakayama Electric President Mitsunobu Kojima, reportedFeb. 22 marks the Japanese celebration of “Cat Day,” as “Ni” appears in the word “nyan” , making the date sound like “nyan, nyan, nyan,” according to SoraNews24.
“Nitama will work hard as chief priest of Tama Shrine,” Kojima reportedly said, as he presented the cat to the shrine, adding a “nyao” at the end, as if to speak on Nitama’s behalf, according to Soranews24. Kojima further expressed hope that the appointment of Nitama would help bring peace and “brighten the world that’s been darkened by the coronavirus.”