17.8. Commemorative Tram Route 17
Location: Defunct Tram Depot, Nara Central Loop
Description:
Tram Route 17 was established in 1925 and discontinued in 1941, but the tracks were never removed. Locals believe it was designed to trace out the shape of an imperial seal when viewed from above. Today, the tracks run through parking lots, temples, and collapsed alleys, and each spring, a phantom tram is said to reappear—whistling past silent crossings. Judai lays a map across the old routes and finds the word “SUMMONED” formed in the junctions. Juna follows a gravel trail that should not connect—but it does. A bell rings at an abandoned station. Inside, they find a guestbook signed “The Sovereign-in-Waiting.” The route was not for passengers, but for encoded returns—royalty without rule.
Keywords:
phantom tram route, imperial seal transport, Route 17 reappearance, Nara ghost transit, sovereign rail cipher
Very Short Story:
The platform smelled of ozone and cypress. Judai stepped back as the bell sounded—there was no tram, yet the wind shifted. Juna crouched by the track and touched a rusted rail. “Still warm,” she noted. A boy nearby said, “It only comes for those who were never allowed to leave.” As dusk fell, the tracks glowed faintly, like old projector film. A schedule printed on bamboo appeared pinned to a post: every hour listed as *same*. They waited. When it arrived, no doors opened. But a voice recited an apology. “For the route not taken.” They bowed. And it vanished again.
