The first shaft drops 70 metres; the ‘underground temple’ tour lasts 55 minutes and costs 1,200¥.
It is the largest underground discharge channel in the world, built to protect Tokyo and its surroundings from flooding by the area's small rivers. The most requested route, called the ‘underground temple’ (地下神殿) for the 59 columns, each 18 metres tall, of the pressure-equalisation tank, lasts about 55 minutes. There are also longer routes that reach the pump room, with four giant pumps, and the first shaft, 70 metres deep.
Run by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通省), it connects four minor watercourses to the Edo River to discharge their floodwaters. It has become one of the ministry's official ‘infrastructure tourism’ sites.
ℹ️ By booking only, through the official website. The ‘underground temple’ tour costs 1,200¥ per person (55 min); other routes go up to 5,500¥ (110 min, pump room) and 15,000¥ (240 min, the entire waterway). Certified school groups: 600¥.
🚉 Minami-Sakurai · 27 min walk
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