I love the Japanese, for, among other reasons, really appreciating cats. In this delightful news story, a shabby street cat saved a train line from going bankrupt and revitalized the local economy all by wearing a hat and becoming the "Super Station Master."
I like this story for many reasons. First, this obsolete train line had no reason to be maintained. But it will now stay open for the sole reason that people now ride it to go see the cat, or as Haruto Maeda put it, "It's a chance to take a break from the problems facing Japan." All because the cat was given a title and a hat. I think our government should take note of this. Maybe if we put some hats on some cats in our depressed former industrial sectors, we can turn things around. And then we can all ride on trains to go see cats. But maybe not. Americans might not be filled with the same whimsical delight at travelling hundreds of miles, maybe coming of age a little along the way?, to see a cat. Stupid Americans.
The second reason I like this story is that I find it nearly impossible to make my cats wear hats. Whether it be the Santa hat, raindeer ears or Halloween costume, they just will not wear it. So I am intrigued by this cat -does he wear the hat because he knows so much depends on it? Does he hate the hat and feel a fool? Perhaps we will never know. But we could all use tips on how to make our cats wear hats because it is hilarious/adorable.
Lastly, I like this story because this town really values its cats. Instead of making them live on the streets, they give them hats and important jobs. And we could all learn a little something from this. So, Tama the Cat, I salute you!
