Japanese Keelback
While hiking in the mountains this morning, I came across a Japanese keelback (ヒバカリ) in the middle of the trail. This one was about ten centimeters in length with very dark scales. It did not move even when I got close to it, so I worried that it might have been stepped on by a hiker. It was fine, though, and I helped it off the trail to prevent such an accident when the next hiker comes along. It was a cute snake!