A snake was found and captured on Japan’s Yamanote Line, equivalent to the 6 Train Line in New York.
On May 13th, Japan’s media Yomiuri Shimbun reported that a snake was discovered and captured from under the seat of an employee on the Yamanote Line train on May 12th. About 2,700 passengers were affected and had to disembark.
Around 5 p.m. on May 12th, a passenger on the Yamanote Line (composed of 11 cars) departing from JR Shibuya Station reported to the station staff that “there was a creature like a snake in the car”.
The snake was found about two hours later. No one was injured, but the incident affected approximately 2,700 people.
According to JR East, the train temporarily stopped at Komagome Station, and after moving the passengers from the reported 8th carriage to another carriage, the staff checked the inside of the carriage, but the snake was not found. The 8th carriage, where the report originated, was temporarily closed off, and the train resumed operation about 15 minutes later.
After unloading passengers at Osaki Station, the train was inspected at the Tokyo General Vehicle Center. Around 7 p.m., an employee found and captured the snake under the seat and reported it to the Shinagawa Police Station. According to the police station, the snake was about 20 centimeters (roughly 7.9 inches) long and appeared to be a young rat snake.
The JR Yamanote Line is similar to Seoul’s Subway Line 2 equivalent to the 6 Train Line in New York. It’s a circular train that travels around thirty major downtown areas. When unfamiliar with Tokyo, it’s often suggested to take the Yamanote Line and explore each station like Ueno, Ikebukuro, Okubo, Shinjuku, Harajuku, and Shibuya.
