Our journey neared its end in Akita, and before we slipped gently back into Japan's ultra-modern world, I was drawn to the observatory car by the sound of singing amplified throughout the carriages. A farewell concert was underway next to the train driver's cabin and the female singer's vocals, accompanied by the plink-plonk of a shamisen, a traditional three-stringed Japanese banjo, couldn't have been a more fitting end.
