Photographer Arrested After Taking Chainsaw to Trees In Search of a Better Train Photo

Police arrested a 23-year-old Japanese man after a tree he cut down to get a better photo of a train landed on vital communication wires.

Railway photography is very popular in Japan, and occasionally railway enthusiasts, also known as “toritetsu,” do dangerous things in pursuit of better photos. Unfortunately, love of trains goes beyond railway-themed hot shoe covers and camera straps built from actual train seats.

Railway superfans have been arrested for theft, violence, trespassing, and other offenses that endanger railway passengers, and are occasionally seen dodging trains at the last second to get better photos. Last year, East Japan Railway Company (JR East) even launched a public awareness campaign effectively pleading with photographers to stop doing dangerous things.

The latest criminal behavior goes even further, though. 23-year-old taxi driver Kodai Watanabe of Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, was arrested by Hokkaido Prefectural Police after he trespassed onto JR Senmo Line property in Kushiro and used a chainsaw he brought to cut down a tree. The felled tree then landed on a railway communication cable, effectively endangering railway passengers in the area.

Per Tokyo Reporter, Watanabe’s criminal behavior stemmed from a desire to get a better photo of the Kushiro Shitsugen Norokko-go, or Sunset Norokko, sightseeing train. Many railway enthusiasts have been traveling to photograph the train, as JR Senmo said operations of this particular train are ending soon.

Watanabe has reportedly confessed to the allegations, and his case has been sent to local prosecutors under suspicion of endangering railway traffic. He told investigators he did it because he believed it was his last chance to photograph the Sunset Norokko train in good weather.

“The weather was great, and it was my last chance to shoot the train,” Watanabe said. “I wanted to take a good photo. I wanted to improve the conditions, even just a little bit, so I cut the tree with a chainsaw.”

Depending on precisely what crime Watanabe is charged with, whether it’s creating a railway traffic hazard or causing a hazard through negligence, he could face a fine or even years in prison.

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Image creditsVisit Hokkaido