[2025 Kinokawa Attraction] Travel Guide for Kishi Station (Updated Feb)

The terminus of the Kishigawa Line is Kishi Station, located in Kinogawa City, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The reason why Guizhi Station is famous is that it has a cat webmaster "Xiaoyu" (who passed away in June 2015), who is now on duty by the second-generation cat webmaster. There are three trains of Xiaoyu, Strawberry and Toys on the whole line. In addition to the cat stationmaster, there are also Meow Cafe, Meow Seal, and Meow House. The old little train is beautifully arranged. A must-see for cat lovers. [Xiaoyu's story] (source Baidu Encyclopedia) In Wakayama Prefecture, northwestern Japan, there is a Kishi station. The owner of a small shop near the station, Toshiko Oyama, adopted a pregnant stray cat. Soon, a stray cat gave birth to a kitten. Riko Koyama named the kitten Xiaoyu and took good care of it. Unexpectedly, at this time, Guizhi Station received a demolition order from the city government. The cattery for the two cats is right next to the railway and is inevitably threatened with demolition. then. Toshiko Oyama implored the railway manager who came to inspect the station to let Xiaoyu and her daughter live in the station. The sensible Xiaoyu flashed her big eyes and called out "meow meow" with a little pleading, and then paced back and forth with a lot of thought. The station manager felt pity and decided to keep Xiaoyu and her daughter. But what is the reason for two cats to live in the station? "Why not let Xiaoyu be the stationmaster of Guizhi Station?" The business of the Guizhichuan Line has been bleak. Guizhi is the terminal station. In order to save expenses, all the staff of the station have been fired. It is also a good thing for Xiaoyu to be the stationmaster. Japan is a country that worships cats, and many Japanese believe that cats will bring good luck. So, Xiaoyu happily took office. Every day at 9 o'clock in the morning, Riko Xiaoshan said, "Xiaoyu, it's time for work!" Xiaoyu responded with a "meow" and walked to the platform. Wearing the hat of the Wakayama Electric Railway, it stood on the platform and looked at the few passengers. Not long after, the news of Xiaoyu becoming the webmaster spread like wildfire. The passenger flow of Guizhi Station is increasing day by day, and the electric railway company is in a state of power: since it is facing a shutdown, why not ask Xiaoyu to save the crisis? In 2010, Wakayama Electric Railway Company asked designers to design Kishi Station as a smiling cat face, and tailor-made a unique Xiaoyu tram. The Xiaoyu tram is very similar to the tourist bus in the amusement park. The front of the car is in the shape of a cat, and there are 101 very "kawaii" kittens painted on the outside of the car. Because Xiaoyu is a three-color cat, the floor of the compartment also has three colors, and the footprints of the kitten are scattered like petals. On the day the new tram was opened, a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Kishi Station. Wearing a gorgeous countess costume and wearing small golden shoes, the stationmaster Xiaoyu attended the event with vigour and won countless cat fans. When the train pulled in slowly, the passengers saw the stationmaster Xiaoyu wearing a duty uniform, standing on the platform full of energy. It is not only charming but also extremely patient, commuting on time every day except on Sundays, and posing for photos with passengers. Less than a year. Ticket revenue at Kishi Station jumped by 15 million yen alone. With sufficient economic income, previously laid-off workers were rehired. When Xiaoyu was lazy, one of her super fans came from Australia in a hurry. It happened that Xiaoyu was sleeping with two other cats in the station master's room. The staff at the station wanted to wake Xiaoyu up, but the Australian guests didn't. He made a gesture: "Shh! We have to respect it and don't disturb its cherry blossom dreams!" In view of Xiaoyu's outstanding performance and outstanding contribution since he served as the stationmaster, the