Wakayama Electric Railway Kishigawa Line (Tama trains & Kishi Station)
A 14.3-kilometer local line ending at a station shaped like a cat's face.
piggybackjapan.com
Wakayama Electric Railway Kishigawa Line (Tama trains & Kishi Station)
SaveA 14.3-kilometer local line ending at a station shaped like a cat's face.
A shrine to Tama, the first cat stationmaster, stands on the platform at the end of the line.
MoreWhat kind of place
The line runs 14.3 kilometers (about 9 miles) from Wakayama Station out to Kishi Station in Kinokawa, and it is said to have started as the way to reach three shrines strung along the route.
Nankai Electric Railway announced in 2004 that it was pulling out, Okayama Electric Tramway stepped in, and Wakayama Electric Railway began running the trains on April 1, 2006.
A cat named Tama became stationmaster at Kishi in January 2007, and after Tama died in 2015 the company held a funeral, named Tama honorary stationmaster for life, and built the shrine on the platform that August.
Nitama held the post next and died in November 2025, and since January 2026 Kishi has been Yontama's station.
Gotama stands in there on top of running Idakiso, and a trainee, Rokutama, splits the week between the two stations.
Sources and evidence (28)
- The first Tama became stationmaster of Kishi Station on January 5, 2007.source
- The first Tama died on June 22, 2015, and was named honorary stationmaster for life at a company funeral on June 28.source
- Tama Shrine was built on August 11, 2015, and Nitama took the name Tama II and the post of Kishi stationmaster.source
- Nitama, who held the title of ultra stationmaster at Kishi Station, died on November 20, 2025.source
- At a company funeral on December 13, 2025, Nitama was named honorary special stationmaster.source
- On January 7, 2026, Yontama, who holds the title of manager stationmaster, became stationmaster of Kishi Station.source
- On that same day, January 7, 2026, Gotama, who holds the title of deputy stationmaster, became stationmaster of Idakiso Station and acting stationmaster of Kishi Station.source
- Rokutama arrived in Wakayama Prefecture on January 7, 2026, as a stationmaster trainee.source
- The current lineup is Yontama, the manager stationmaster who serves as Kishi stationmaster; Gotama, stationmaster of Idakiso and acting stationmaster at Kishi; and Rokutama, a stationmaster trainee.source
- Tama Shrine stands on the platform itself.source
- Kishi Station has a stationmaster's room where Yontama, the stationmaster, and Rokutama, the trainee, are on duty.source
- The Kishi Station building takes a cat's face as its motif and has a roof laid in hiwadabuki, a traditional cypress-bark technique, making it a station building unlike any other.source
- The new Kishi Station building, designed by Eiji Mitooka, was completed on August 4, 2010.source
- The Kishi platform has a stamp you press in layers to build up one picture, plus a machine selling souvenir medals for Tama, Nitama, and Gotama and a press that stamps names into them.source
- The goshuin for Tama Shrine, the seal that people collect from shrines, costs 300 yen, comes only as a pre-written sheet with no date added, and is sold at Tama Cafe in Kishi Station from 10:00 to 16:00.source
- Tama Shrine enshrines Tama Daimyojin and sits on the platform at Kishi Station.source
- Kishi Station has no parking lot.source
- Kishigawa Line trains are two cars long and run with a driver only, no conductor on board.source
- You board through the rear door of the first car, and the doors of the second car do not open, except on some weekday morning trains and at Wakayama Station, where every door opens.source
- IC cards cannot be used on the Kishigawa Line.source
- Payment is cash only on board, at the platform 9 window at Wakayama Station, and at Kishi Station, with barcode payment accepted only for commuter passes at Idakiso Station.source
- There is a change machine at the front of each car, and only the one at the leading end in the direction of travel can be used.source
- The trains on the Kishigawa Line are all designed by Eiji Mitooka: the Ichigo (strawberry) train, the Tama train, the Umeboshi (plum) train, the Chuggington train, and the Tama Train Museum car.source
- Each train runs on a different timetable every day and some days it does not run at all, so it pays to check before you go.source
- The car actually in service can change without notice, for inspections or other reasons.source
- The Tama train is painted with 101 Tama stationmasters and has a shelf of picture books on board.source
- The Ichigo train, which appeared on August 6, 2006, was the first of the redesigned trains and takes its motif from the strawberries grown around Kishi Station.source
- The Tama Train Museum car is covered in cats outside and on the floor and ceiling, with an interior built like the lounge of a grand hotel.source
With kidsThe part that matters
Plan on 3 to 4 hours: about 30 minutes on the train each way from Wakayama Station, and the rest at the stations on either end.
Five designs share this line, each on its own daily timetable, and the car can change without notice, so check the schedule before you promise the kids the Tama train — the one painted with 101 cats, with a shelf of picture books on board.
At the last stop, Kishi, the station building is shaped like a cat's face, with a shrine to the first cat stationmaster on the platform and a cafe that doubles as the waiting room.
The cat on duty sits behind glass in the stationmaster's room, so children can watch but not touch, and the posted roster tells you which station has a cat that day, since each one has fixed days off and can take an unscheduled one when it isn't well.
IC cards don't work on this line, so bring cash, and if you drive, park at Wakayama or Idakiso and take the train from there, because Kishi has no parking.
Sources and evidence (3)
- Three to four hours with a two-year-old via Kishi and Itakiso. Trains run every 30 minutes; stamps at four points.source
- April 2026: a shop one side, cafe and toilet the other. The stationmaster sits in the passage, but the crowd hid him.source
- The day pass rose from 800 to 1,200 yen on 1 July 2026. They hopped off for three shrines; Yontama was asleep inside.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1The Tama Densha car has 101 stationmaster Tamas drawn on it and a bookshelf of picture books. Held in your arms in a seat, there is a cat somewhere on the ceiling or the wall wherever you look. The Tama Densha Museum-go goes further: cats outside, on the floor and on the ceiling, with an interior built like a hotel lounge. Wakayama Station to the last stop at Kishi is 14.3 km and about 30 minutes, so you can stay seated the whole way.Children aged 1 to under 6 (preschool) ride free, up to two per accompanying passenger aged 6 or over. The two-car trains run with the driver alone: you board through the rear door of the first car (the second car's doors do not open) and get off through the front door of the first car, dropping your ticket or fare into the box as you go. With a baby in one arm and bags in the other, it helps to know that route before you are on the platform. The Kishigawa Line takes no IC cards; payment on board and at windows is cash only, and the change machine is at the front of the car, usable only on the one facing the direction of travel. Which train runs changes day by day and some days a train does not run at all, so check the timetable in advance if you want the Tama Densha. Kishi Station is unstaffed and has no parking, so if you drive, board at Wakayama or Idakiso Station.
- Ages 2-3At Kishi, the last stop, the station building itself is shaped like a cat's face, roofed in traditional cypress bark. A shrine to Tama stands on the platform, and there is a layered stamp station too. In the stationmaster's room the cat stationmaster Yontama is on duty from 10:00 to 16:00, usually asleep, visible through the glass; her days off are Wednesday and Thursday. Inside the building, Tama Cafe serves cat-themed drinks, gelato and light meals.The cat stationmasters spend the whole day inside the stationmaster's room and do not come out, so you cannot touch them, and they do not wear the uniform or cap day to day. Visitors are asked not to tap the glass to wake a sleeping stationmaster or get her attention, and to keep the flash off. A child who arrives expecting to pet a cat will be disappointed, so saying this beforehand saves the moment. A cat may be off unexpectedly because of her health or the temperature, and the duty schedule can change at short notice. Preschool children ride free, up to two per accompanying passenger aged 6 or over. Kishi Station is unstaffed with no parking and no roadside parking either, so drivers board at Wakayama or Idakiso Station. A parent with a two-year-old spent 3 to 4 hours in total on the Wakayama - Kishi - Idakiso - Wakayama round trip.
- Ages 4-6Five trains run this line: the Ichigo (strawberry), the Tama, the Umeboshi Densha, the Chuggington and the Tama Densha Museum-go, and which one you get changes by the day. The Tama Densha has 101 stationmaster Tamas drawn inside, so a child can ride along counting them. The platform at Kishi has a layered stamp station and a commemorative medal machine (Tama, Nitama, Gotama) with a stamping press. Getting off, you use the front door of the first car where the driver sits, and drop your own ticket into the fare box.Each train's timetable differs day by day and some days a train does not run. The rolling stock can also change without notice for inspections, so it is safer not to promise a child "we are riding the Tama Densha." The fare from Wakayama to Kishi is 480 yen for adults and 240 yen for children; the child fare is for ages 6 to under 12 (elementary school) at half the adult fare, while children aged 1 to under 6 (preschool) ride free, up to two per accompanying passenger aged 6 or over. If you ride Wakayama to Kishi and back and also get off at Idakiso, the operator says the one-day pass (1,200 yen adult, 600 yen child) works out cheaper. No IC cards, cash only. Take a numbered ticket when boarding at an intermediate station; Wakayama and Kishi do not issue them.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe 30-minute ride from Wakayama to Kishi is spent inside the train, and inside Kishi's station building are Tama Cafe and Tama Shop, which double as the waiting room. The cat stationmaster spends the whole day inside the stationmaster's room, so you watch through the glass; Tama Shrine and the layered stamp are out on the platform.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed3–4 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (6)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Official family-friendly certification, Crowding (guide), Quietness (guide), Lost-child support
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Three to four hours with a two-year-old via Kishi and Itakiso. Trains run every 30 minutes; stamps at four points.
Two years old: the Wakayama Electric Railway Tama train
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
April 2026: a shop one side, cafe and toilet the other. The stationmaster sits in the passage, but the crowd hid him.
How to spend time at Kishi Station, and the other trains: Wakayama Electric Railway, an aside
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
The day pass rose from 800 to 1,200 yen on 1 July 2026. They hopped off for three shrines; Yontama was asleep inside.
A day pass and a wander down the Kishigawa Line
Wakayama Electric Railway Kishigawa Line (Tama trains & Kishi Station) · Links & reads ▾
＋ Add a link
Save
Where it is
73 Idakiso, Wakayama-shi, Wakayama 640-0361source
Before you go
- The cat stationmasters spend the day inside the stationmaster's room rather than outside, cannot be touched, and are usually not wearing their uniform and cap.source
- Anyone coming by car is asked to park at Wakayama or Idakiso and take the train from there, and parking on the street is not allowed either.source
- You get off through the front door of the first car, where the driver sits, at every station but Wakayama, dropping your ticket, or your fare and numbered slip, into the farebox as you go.source
- You take a numbered slip when you board at a station along the way; no slips are issued at Wakayama or Kishi.source
- A one-day pass costs 1,200 yen for adults and 600 yen for children, covers unlimited rides on the whole Kishigawa Line for any single day, and is sold year-round.source
More notes (4)
- One-day passes are sold at the platform 9 window at Wakayama Station, the Idakiso Station window (9:00 to 17:30), Tama Cafe and Tama Shop at Kishi Station during their opening hours, and the Wakayama Bus commuter pass office at JR Wakayama Station.source
- One-day passes cannot be bought from JR ticket machines.source
- To use a one-day pass, you write the date on it in permanent ink and show it with the date visible to the driver or station staff when you get off.source
- The one-day pass also comes as a web ticket that needs no app download, and digital versions are sold through the RYDE PASS and Kansai MaaS apps.source
Basics
- Fee：Wakayama to Kishi, the whole line, is ¥480 for an adult and ¥240 for a child one way. Child fare covers ages 6 to 11 (elementary school) and is half the adult fare, rounded up to the nearest ¥10. Children aged 1 to 5 who are not yet at school travel free, two per accompanying passenger aged 6 or over; from the third child on, and for a small child traveling alone, the child fare applies. A one-day pass is ¥1,200 adult, ¥600 child — worth it if you ride the line more than there and back, for instance stopping at Idakiso as well. No IC cards; cash only on board, at the platform 9 window and at Kishi.source
- Hours：Trains run from early morning to late evening: from Kishi towards Wakayama the first is 5:28 and the last through service 22:16, with a 23:00 train as far as Idakiso.source
- Time to allow：3–4 hsource
- Booking：No booking. Pay the fare on board — take a numbered ticket when you get on at an intermediate station and put it in the fare box by the driver as you get off. A one-day pass costs ¥1,200 for adults and ¥600 for children and is sold all year at the platform 9 window at Wakayama station, the Idakiso station window (9:00-17:30), the Tama Cafe and Tama Shop at Kishi station during their opening hours, and the Wakayama Bus pass office at JR Wakayama. It cannot be bought from JR ticket machines. There is also a web ticket that needs no download, and digital versions in the RYDE PASS and Kansai MaaS apps. With a paper pass you write the date on it yourself in permanent ink and show it to the driver as you get off.source
Basics in detail (13)
Other
- The Kishigawa Line connects Wakayama Station in the city of Wakayama with Kishi Station in the city of Kinokawa.source
- Three shrines stand along the line, Nichizengu, Kamayama, and Itakiso, and the railway is said to have been born as the way to visit all three in one trip.source
- Nankai Electric Railway announced in 2004 that it was pulling out, Okayama Electric Tramway announced in 2005 that it would take over, and Wakayama Electric Railway started running the line on April 1, 2006.source
- Kishi Station is unstaffed.source
- Kishi is the end of the line, with one side platform on a single track plus a siding.source
Getting there
- Trains leave from platform 9 at JR Wakayama Station and reach the end of the line at Kishi in about 30 minutes, 14.3 kilometers (about 9 miles) away.source
- The line covers 14.3 kilometers (about 9 miles) out to its final stop at Kishi Station.source
- Idakiso Station has a train shed listed as a national registered tangible cultural property, is the closest stop to Itakiso Shrine and to Shiki-no-Sato Park, a michi-no-eki roadside rest area, and rents bicycles under the name Tama Bicycles.source
Fees
- The regular fare from Wakayama Station to Kishi Station is 480 yen for adults and 240 yen for children.source
- The child fare covers ages 6 to 11, meaning elementary school age, at half the adult fare, rounded up to the nearest 10 yen.source
- Infants are ages 1 to 5, before elementary school, and up to two ride free with someone aged 6 or older; a third infant, or an infant riding alone, pays the child fare.source
- The railway says the one-day pass works out cheaper if you ride from Wakayama to Kishi and back and get off at Idakiso as well.source
Contact
- The line is run by Wakayama Electric Railway, based at 73 Idakiso, Wakayama, Wakayama 640-0361, phone 073-478-0110.
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (3)
The line runs 14.3 kilometers to Kishi in about half an hour. Tama, the first cat stationmaster, took the post in 2007 and died in 2015. A small shrine to Tama now stands on the Kishi platform. Nitama, who succeeded her as Tama II, died in 2025, and the Kishi stationmaster now is Yontama. The station building is roofed in cypress bark in the shape of a cat's face. Five different trains work the line; the Tama train carries 101 painted cats and a shelf of picture books.
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Nursing space | Not checked yet | ||||
| Family restroom | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | You are on a train and then on an open single platform at Kishi. The station building holds the cafe, the shop and the stationmaster's room; the Tama shrine stands on the platform itself. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | wakayama-dentetsu.co.jp |
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Yes | Children aged 1 to 5 ride free, two per adult. The cat stationmasters work 10:00-16:00 and each has fixed days off: Yontama, the Kishi stationmaster, is off Wednesday and Thursday; Gotama is off Monday and Friday and works at Idakiso; Rokutama, the trainee, is at Kishi on Wednesday and Thursday. Illness or heat can add an unscheduled day off. They stay inside the stationmaster's room all day, never come out, and cannot be touched; they usually wear no uniform or cap. Do not tap the glass to wake a sleeping cat, and no flash photography. Which of the five trains turns up differs by day, and some are out of service. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | wakayama-dentetsu.co.jp |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | Kishi station has no parking lot, and parking on the street is not allowed — by car, park at Wakayama or Idakiso and take the train. Trains leave from platform 9 at JR Wakayama, but this is a separate company, not JR. One-man operation, two cars: board by the rear door of the first car (the second car's doors do not open), take a numbered ticket at intermediate stations, and get off by the front door of the first car past the driver. No numbered tickets are issued at Wakayama or Kishi. IC cards do not work anywhere on the line; it is cash on board, at the platform 9 window and at Kishi. A change machine sits at the front of the leading car. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | wakayama-dentetsu.co.jp |
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Crowding (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Quietness (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet |
Reviews
Reviews