The Northbound Rail Route

Summary & Description

The ground journey toward Hokkaido, deliberately chosen over air travel to avoid tracking: Tokyo -> (detour) Osaka via Tokaido Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka, then the overnight Twilight Express to Sapporo, on to Asahikawa and Wakkanai. The trains become a stage for espionage-style coded encounters (e.g., the 'Kurosawa' baseball exchange).

What we know so far

• The covert ground route north
• Trains as a venue for tradecraft encounters