This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Abroad from the KU Center for East Asian Studies.

What do Kim Il Sung and Tama the Cat have in common? Well, for one, they’re both dead. For another, they’re both eternal: Kim Il Sung is the Eternal President of North Korea; Tama is the eternal stationmaster of Kishi station here in Western Japan. Tama became a fixture at Kishi station and was promoted to stationmaster in 2007. As it turns out, this was a good move: Sitting at the ticket counter in her official custom-made hat, cape and medal, Tama attracted loads of tourists who, in turn, saved the Kishigawa rail line, which was bankrupt. It’s estimated that Tama contributed 1.1 billion yen to the local economy. When she died at 16, she was given a Shinto-style funeral. And it is here that the similarities between Kim Il Sung and Tama diverge: At her funeral, Tama was elevated to goddess status. One upsmanship, or should we say, one upscatship, Shinto-style.

With thanks to Paula Li for this text, from the KU Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.