Slithering surprise: Snake causes rare delay on Japan's Shinkansen

The Japanese rail system is hailed as the fastest and most exact in the world. Yet, a few days ago, a Shinkansen train left Tokyo with an unforeseen delay.

A train carriage arriving in Tokyo on Tuesday, April 16, had to depart 17 minutes late. Just before it was scheduled to leave the local station for Osaka, a passenger alerted the train staff to a 40-cm snake slithering between the seats.

Although the staff promptly captured the snake, they chose to substitute the train with a new one as a safety measure. Whether the snake was venomous and thus a significant danger to the passengers remains unclear.

The Central Japan Railway Company has initiated an investigation to ascertain how the snake boarded the train. A company spokesperson clarified that passengers can bring small pets like dogs or cats, but snakes are prohibited.

"It's difficult to envision the snake boarding the train at one of the stations," he remarked, highlighting that passengers' luggage isn’t inspected before boarding.

Japanese railways are famed globally for their punctuality. Shinkansen trains, in particular, reach incredible speeds of up to 320 km/h. In 2017, a local railway line apologised for a mere 20-second delay.

The shock of a 17-minute delay can thus be understood, especially as it affected around 600 passengers on the Tokyo to Osaka route.