Tokyo Metro Map Added to Minecraft for Free

The Japanese government has launched an interactive Minecraft map showcasing the world's largest underground flood control system. Available as a free download, this virtual recreation allows exploration of Tokyo's remarkable disaster prevention infrastructure from home.

Discovering the "Underground Temple"

The Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (G-Cans), a pioneering flood diversion facility, features its most famous element - the massive "pressure adjustment water tank" with 59 towering concrete pillars. This awe-inspiring underground chamber has earned the nickname "underground temple" in Japan and frequently appears as a dramatic backdrop in films, TV dramas like Kamen Rider, and music videos.

Virtual Exploration Through Minecraft

While physical tours are available during dry seasons, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) now offers a detailed Minecraft recreation. Their official YouTube channel features a video demonstrating the facility's flood control mechanisms in blocky detail.

The Minecraft experience goes beyond the underground complex - players can explore surface-level neighborhoods and simulated water drainage systems that demonstrate G-Cans' protective function. Visitors can even operate virtual controls to activate floodwater diversion into the massive water shafts.

Engineering Marvel Beneath Tokyo

This educational Minecraft project helps illustrate the enormous scale of G-Cans' 6km concrete tunnel network beneath Saitama Prefecture. Operating since 2006 after extensive construction, the system collects floodwater from vulnerable rivers during Japan's rainy and typhoon seasons, gradually releasing it into the Edogawa River and Tokyo Bay.

The free Minecraft map is available for download from the Edogawa River Office website, requiring Minecraft Bedrock Edition 1.21.1+ or Education Edition 1.21.0+.