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Is It Real or a Statue? A Wild Ezo Deer Welcomes Visitors at Wakkanai Station
A surprising scene from Wakkanai Station in Hokkaido, known as the northernmost train station in Japan, has become a hot topic.
A shocking sight at Wakkanai Station on the Soya Main Line.
It's not a statue. It's a real Ezo sika deer.
Photo courtesy of @hime4145
An Ezo sika deer boldly appeared on the station platform! It's hard to tell if it's welcoming people or blocking the ticket gate... what a sight.
On social media, comments poured in, such as, "Even in Nara, the deer don't come inside the station," "Maybe it came to say hello," and "Is that the stationmaster on patrol?"
We asked the original poster, hime4145, about the situation.
"The photo was taken around 6:30 AM on Tuesday, September 12, 2023. Before boarding the train, I went to take pictures of the end of the line and the monuments, and that's when I saw an Ezo sika deer standing on the tracks."
An Ezo sika deer standing on the tracks
"As the departure time neared and the flow of people subsided, it approached the platform side and seemed to be checking out the area ahead."
"Immediately after, it leaped onto the platform in a single bound..."
Jump!
"Soon after, it took a running start and powerfully leaped over the fence."
"After escaping the station premises, it wandered around the area until the train's departure time."
It was so confident, as if it were taking a stroll. The deer seemed accustomed to being around people and apparently crossed the platform when there was no one around. But how did it get so far inside?
The poster, hime4145, speculates,
While it's not uncommon to hear about wild deer on the tracks in Hokkaido, seeing one run into the station itself is quite a rare sight. It was a truly surprising scene at Japan's northernmost station!
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