Minecraft Gets a Free Map of Iconic Underground Tokyo Location, Thanks to Japanese Government

The Japanese authorities has released a Minecraft representation of the world’s largest underground flood prevention facility. Not lone is it escaped to download, but it lets you research 1 of the Tokyo area’s lesser-known iconic locations from the comfortableness of your home.

The Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, known arsenic G-Cans for short, is simply a real-life catastrophe prevention facility. It is best-known for its “pressure accommodation h2o tank” — a immense cavernous abstraction with 59 monolithic pillars. A genuinely epic looking, brag battle-worthy location, it is G-Can’s astir iconic sight, and adjacent has the nickname “underground temple” (chika shinden) successful Japan. With bags of atmosphere, it besides gets utilized arsenic a determination for euphony videos, Japanese TV dramas (like Kamen Rider) and movies.

The real-life G-Cans. Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

In adust seasons, it is imaginable to circuit G-Cans successful existent life, but acknowledgment to the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), you tin present research this atmospheric installation successful Minecraft too. The ministry person released a video connected their authoritative YouTube which concisely summarizes the intent of G-Cans and shows what it looks similar successful the blocky satellite of Minecraft.

Minecraft’s escaped G-Cans representation doesn’t conscionable see the installation though — determination is besides an overground country featuring rivers, homes, and neighborhoods, giving the subordinate a consciousness of however G-Cans protects radical and places successful existent life. You tin besides spell into the power country and effort draining flood h2o into the shafts to spot however it works for yourself.

The Minecraft G-Cans. Image credit: the Edogawa River Office.

MLIT’s recreation of G-Cans successful Minecraft is designed to amended radical astir the installation and however it prevents disasters. Exploring it, adjacent successful Minecraft, besides gives the subordinate a consciousness of however perfectly immense G-Cans is. In existent life, G-Cans' factual tunnels tally for implicit 6km nether Saitama Prefecture, portion of the Greater Tokyo Area. Its 5 shafts seizure h2o from flood-prone rivers during Japan’s rainy play (June) and typhoon play (usually astir September), earlier gradually releasing it into the overmuch bigger Edogawa River and Tokyo Bay. Completed successful 2006 aft implicit a decennary of construction, G-Cans has played a immense relation successful combating flooding successful the country ever since.

MLIT’s G-Can’s Minecraft representation tin beryllium downloaded for escaped from the authoritative website of the Edogawa River Office, which manages the facility. At slightest Version 1.21.1 of Minecraft Bedrock Edition oregon Version 1.21.0 of Minecraft Education Edition are required.

Verity Townsend is simply a Japan-based freelance writer who antecedently served arsenic editor, contributor and translator for the crippled quality tract Automaton West. She has besides written astir Japanese civilization and movies for assorted publications.