Kaohsiungstation cat Mikan to feature on Japanese trains

Kaohsiungstation cat Mikan to feature on Japanese trains

2025-02-19

Mikan, the Kaohsiung Metro’s famous station cat, has earned the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. millions over the past year. Lovingly called the "most powerful lucky cat," Mikan’s charm has now spilled over to Japan. The KRTC has teamed up with the Enoshima Electric Railway and Randen tram network to bring Mikan to Japan for a "work study" of sorts. The opportunity would see Mikan’s likeness displayed on trains in Kamakura and Kyoto, hopefully encouraging more Japanese to visit Taiwan.

Just arriving for work, Mikan climbs through a ticket window to greet his fans. The Kaohsiung Metro’s most famous employee is surrounded by his admirers, with one kid even wearing a Mikan T-shirt while shouting that he wants to see his idol.

Mikan fan
We have a cat at home, so we bring him here to see the cat, then go outside to get some buns.

Mikan fan
I came today just to see him on duty. This is my doll bag where I put my Chiikawa and Mikan.

Adults and children alike can’t resist his charm. Now the Mikan craze has even made it to Japan.

Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp has teamed up with the Randen tram and Kamakura’s Enoshima Electric Railway to dress Mikan in the two Japanese networks’ uniforms.

Previously, the Kaohsiung Metro and Enoshima railway worked with a ramen snack brand to create colorful designs for their trains and stations. This time, Randen is joining in, and Mikan will be the star of the show. The Mikan-themed trains will hit the rails in late May, joined by a pop-up store.

Wang Po-yen
KRTC public relations director
The main goal is to attract more Japanese tourists to Taiwan. If people on these two famous railways in Kanto and Kansai see Mikan, it will create a surge of tourism to Taiwan and to Kaohsiung.

Mikan fan
There’s a store for Mikan near Zuoying Station. I heard some foreign travelers saying they wanted to go visit the store.

Conquering both Taiwan and Japan with cuteness, Mikan is Kaohsiung’s best tourism ambassador. Now officials hope to harness his power to draw more Japanese tourists to Taiwan and get more Taiwanese to learn about Japan.

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高捷蜜柑站長太夯! 日本鐵道公司邀蜜柑"赴日修業"

2025-02-19

高雄捷運的蜜柑站長，一年為捷運公司帶進超過千萬元營收，堪稱最強招財貓，而蜜柑的魅力也紅到日本去，高捷公司攜手江之島電鐵及嵐山電鐵，兩家日本鐵道公司，要讓蜜柑到日本修業，不但有機會在日本知名的鎌倉及京都看見蜜柑列車，更希望招攬更多日本人到台灣來。

才剛上工，就鑽出售票口，跟特地來見本尊的粉絲們打招呼，高雄捷運的招財貓蜜柑站長，被滿滿的粉絲包圍，小朋友穿著蜜柑站長的T恤，喊著想要看蜜柑。

[[蜜柑粉絲]]
“因為我們家有養貓咪，所以我們就帶他來看貓咪，順便去外面吃肉包這樣”

[[蜜柑粉絲]]
“今天就特別來看值勤，這是我的娃娃包，然後就會放我的吉伊卡哇，還有蜜柑站長”

蜜柑的魅力，大人小孩都難以抵擋，現在更要前進日本。

高雄捷運公司攜手嵐山電鐵、還有鎌倉的江之島電鐵，要讓蜜柑穿上兩家鐵道公司的制服，前進日本進修。

過去高捷就跟江之島電鐵，結合點心麵業者，互推彩繪列車及特色車站，這次加入嵐山電鐵，以蜜柑為主角，預計五月底要在日本推出蜜柑列車，並設立快閃專櫃。

[[高雄捷運公司公共事務處長王柏雁]]
“最主要的目的是想要吸引日本的觀光客，在這兩個非常有名的關東跟關西知名的電鐵，看到蜜柑的身影之後，也會興起來台灣、來高雄，這邊旅遊的人潮”

[[蜜柑粉絲]]
“在左營站有(蜜柑)周邊店，然後就有滿多外國的遊客，就是他們在討論說要去逛周邊店”

用可愛征服台日兩地，有如高雄最佳的觀光大使，就盼用蜜柑的可愛形象，招攬更多日本旅客到台灣、也讓台灣旅客更認識日本。

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City awards US-bound pitcher ‘Pride of Hualien’ honor

18-year-old pitcher from Hualien, Yang Nien-hsi, was signed by the San Francisco Giants last December and plans to move to the US at the end of the month. He recently visited the Hualien City Office with his family to receive a "Pride of Hualien" banner. The baseball star will likely start in the minor league and said he hopes to make the major leagues within five years.

Standing with confidence on the mound, you can tell he’s a good pitcher as soon as the ball leaves his hand. This is Yang Nien-hsi, who was signed by the San Francisco Giants in the US last December, becoming the sixth Taiwanese player to ever join the team.

Yang Nien-hsi
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I’m excited. I hope I can go there soon to play. This has been my dream since I was a kid. I’ve achieved my goal, but I still need to work hard. I hope to make the major leagues in five years.

Born to a baseball family, Yang began training in athletics in elementary school. He started running track in fifth grade, then switched to baseball, which he’s been playing now for 10 years. At an advantageous 187cm tall, he can pitch up to 150kph. He was the starting pitcher in last year’s U18 Asian Baseball Championship, striking out a batter in the first frame. His career performance drew interest from US scouts. Most recently, he went to the Hualien City Office to receive a “Pride of Hualien” banner.

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I’m thrilled that Hualien has produced such an excellent player. I need to thank his mother and father, and the upbringing of his family. I think Taiwanese players in recent years have seen incredible results both in Taiwan and abroad.

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Walking into the Hakka museum in Baoli, you’re greeted by this unusual walkway on the floor.

Look closer, and you see it’s made of ammunition cases from .50 caliber machine guns. Lying four abreast, the lines stretch more than 100 meters. There are 1000 cases here, at least.

Tseng Li-ching
Baoli Community Development Association
Years ago, the village inhabitants would go out and pick up empty ammunition cases from .50 caliber machine guns. People were enthusiastic about collecting them. When the museum was first founded, our secretary-general encouraged everyone to place them into a walkway. It may be the only one of its kind in the world.

The village of Baoli, in Checheng Township, Pingtung, is the Southernmost Hakka village in Taiwan. Its claim to fame is a military Joint Operations Training Base which opened here in 1967. Troops have come here to conduct drills with live ammunition every year since, leaving behind empty cases from artillery shells and machine guns. Collecting and selling cases became a side income for village residents. The .50 caliber machine gun cases have also been remodeled into useful items by locals.

Chen Mei-hui
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They would put betel nuts inside, and grind like this until they were broken up. Then bring it up close to the mouth. Grandma didn’t have any teeth to chew with, so it was a way to enjoy betel nut.

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People in Checheng and Hengchun love betel nut, so the more intact cases could serve as betel nut mortars. Others were kept as samples, to look nice.

Life in this rural area in the mid-20th-century was tough, and many people in Baoli collected ammunition cases for extra money, although tragic deaths occasionally occurred when unexploded bombs were uncovered. In recent years, the practice has declined as safety is given more priority.

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