Japanese Gov Unveils Free Minecraft Map of Iconic Tokyo Underground

The Japanese government has unveiled a captivating Minecraft map showcasing the world’s largest underground flood prevention facility, available for free download. This digital recreation allows you to explore one of Tokyo's lesser-known yet iconic locations from the comfort of your own home.

The Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, affectionately known as G-Cans, is a real-life marvel of disaster prevention engineering. Its most striking feature is the "pressure adjustment water tank," an immense cavern supported by 59 colossal pillars, earning it the nickname "underground temple" (chika shinden) in Japan. This awe-inspiring space, reminiscent of a boss battle arena, has also been a backdrop for music videos, Japanese TV dramas like Kamen Rider, and movies, adding to its cultural significance.

The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has brought G-Cans into the digital realm with a Minecraft version. A video on their official YouTube channel introduces the purpose of G-Cans and offers a glimpse of its blocky Minecraft counterpart.

The free Minecraft map of G-Cans goes beyond just the facility itself. It includes an overground area complete with rivers, homes, and neighborhoods, providing a realistic view of how G-Cans safeguards communities. Players can even step into the control room and simulate the process of draining floodwater into the shafts, offering an interactive learning experience.

MLIT's Minecraft recreation of G-Cans serves as an educational tool, illustrating the facility's role in disaster prevention. The map conveys the sheer scale of G-Cans, with its concrete tunnels stretching over 6km beneath Saitama Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. During Japan’s rainy and typhoon seasons, G-Cans captures water from flood-prone rivers, gradually releasing it into the larger Edogawa River and Tokyo Bay. Since its completion in 2006 after over a decade of construction, G-Cans has been instrumental in mitigating flooding in the region.

You can download MLIT's G-Cans Minecraft map for free from the official website of the Edogawa River Office, which oversees the facility. To explore this digital wonder, you'll need at least Version 1.21.1 of Minecraft Bedrock Edition or Version 1.21.0 of Minecraft Education Edition.