Workers now check the trenches regularly for errant reptiles and any found are removed and sent on their merry way, the spokesman added.
While the Nara turtles may lack ambition beyond a quick dip in the pond, other testudines have advanced to positions of symbolic authority in Japan.
A hefty African tortoise called Kotaro, weighing some 40 kilos, was given the role of station-master of Ibusuki station in the far south, complete with a tiny station-master’s hat.
Dogs, cats, rabbits, goats and even penguins have also been promoted to station-master—a largely ambassadorial role in highly automated Japan.