Tokyo Flood Control.
Huge columns rise into the darkness, resembling smooth stalagmites in an enormous subterranean cavern. The floors are smooth as well and resemble marble from a distance. Sections of the pillars are highlighted in the darkness by lights set up at intervals. The combination of the columns, the lighting and the vastness of the space inside lends it an ethereal quality, like that of a temple buried deep underground.
But the pools of water on the floor give a subtle indication of the true purpose of the sacred space—to serve as a massive flood control channel in an area prone to flooding just outside of Tokyo, Japan.
That’s right, this place fills with water. A lot of water.
A number of rivers criss-cross the city, and when those rivers rise during monsoon season (or even just during heavy rains), the streets of Tokyo begin to flood. With the creation of the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, that water is instead diverted underground into the nearest of five vertical silos throughout the city, which then connect to a series of underground tunnels almost 4 miles long.
If the water in the tunnels and the silos rise too high, it flows into this place, the largest surge tank in the world.
And large it is. Each pillar holding up the ceiling of this massive tank is almost 60 feet high. The room itself is 580 feet long, or the length of two football fields. Overflowing flood water fills this space anywhere from 7 to 12 times a year, and then is pumped out into the Edo River.
When it isn’t full of water, it is a very popular tourist attraction. You read that correctly—you can climb down into this surge tank and imagine what it’s like when it’s full. Or, stick around and see for yourself.
But the pools of water on the floor give a subtle indication of the true purpose of the sacred space—to serve as a massive flood control channel in an area prone to flooding just outside of Tokyo, Japan.
That’s right, this place fills with water. A lot of water.
A number of rivers criss-cross the city, and when those rivers rise during monsoon season (or even just during heavy rains), the streets of Tokyo begin to flood. With the creation of the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, that water is instead diverted underground into the nearest of five vertical silos throughout the city, which then connect to a series of underground tunnels almost 4 miles long.
If the water in the tunnels and the silos rise too high, it flows into this place, the largest surge tank in the world.
And large it is. Each pillar holding up the ceiling of this massive tank is almost 60 feet high. The room itself is 580 feet long, or the length of two football fields. Overflowing flood water fills this space anywhere from 7 to 12 times a year, and then is pumped out into the Edo River.
When it isn’t full of water, it is a very popular tourist attraction. You read that correctly—you can climb down into this surge tank and imagine what it’s like when it’s full. Or, stick around and see for yourself.