In law-abiding, snowy Japan, even this deer apparently follows the traffic rules

If the town is nice enough to put up a sign for you, you may as well use it.

A few blocks away from my apartment here in Japan, there’s an intersection with a signal light. There’s hardly any traffic on the street, though, and standing on the corner you can see several hundred meters in either direction, so if no cars are coming, I regularly jaywalk across.

However, I’ve noticed that my Japanese neighbors are far more willing to wait for the “walk” sign to come on. I’ve always chalked it up to the greater emphasis, compared to their American counterparts, that Japanese school and companies place on diligently following the rules.

Still, that doesn’t explain why even Japan’s wildlife would be more willing to acquiesce to the dominion of posted signage. Nevertheless, Twitter user @johnny333ti recently spotted a deer doing just that while on his way home from the Hyo no Sen Ski Resort in Hyogo Prefecture.

鹿注意の看板に隠れててわろた https://t.co/FgsyAt8z0M

—
ジョニー石原 (@johnny333ti) February 12, 2017

With the snow piled up in thick banks, a sign cautioning motorists to be on the lookout for crossing deer had its bottom tip buried in the freshly fallen slush. But it seems one deer interpreted the sign as being not just for human drivers, but for him as well, as he positioned himself right next to it, facing the road and peering out at the other side.

“He’s got such a determined look on his face,” laughed one commenter. “It’s almost like he’s waiting for his chance to ambush a car as it comes by.” Thankfully, though, @johnny333ti relates that the deer stood still as he and his friends drove by, remaining safely on the shoulder of the road instead of dashing out into the street. Who knows? Maybe he learned proper traffic safety by watching other deer hang out on the sidewalks of Nara City.

Source: Hamster Sokuho
Featured image: Twitter/@johnny333ti

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