The Japanese government has unveiled a unique Minecraft map that offers players a chance to explore the world’s largest underground flood prevention facility, the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, known as G-Cans. This map, available for free download, allows you to delve into one of Tokyo's lesser-known iconic landmarks right from your home.
G-Cans is a remarkable real-life disaster prevention facility, most famous for its "pressure adjustment water tank," a cavernous space supported by 59 massive pillars. This awe-inspiring location, often dubbed the "underground temple" (chika shinden) in Japan, evokes the atmosphere of a boss battle arena. It has also served as a backdrop for music videos, Japanese TV dramas like Kamen Rider, and movies, thanks to its dramatic setting.
In dry seasons, you can tour G-Cans in person, but the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has now brought this atmospheric facility into the world of Minecraft. The ministry released a video on their official YouTube channel that not only explains the purpose of G-Cans but also showcases its Minecraft representation.
The Minecraft G-Cans map goes beyond just the facility itself, encompassing an overground area with rivers, homes, and neighborhoods. This addition helps players understand how G-Cans protects real-life communities. You can even step into the control room and simulate draining floodwater into the shafts to experience its function firsthand.
MLIT's recreation of G-Cans in Minecraft is designed to educate players about the facility and its role in disaster prevention. Exploring the map gives a sense of the immense scale of G-Cans, which features concrete tunnels stretching over 6km beneath Saitama Prefecture in the Greater Tokyo Area. The facility's five shafts collect water from flood-prone rivers during Japan’s rainy and typhoon seasons, typically in June and September, before releasing it into the larger Edogawa River and Tokyo Bay. Since its completion in 2006 after more than a decade of construction, G-Cans has significantly contributed to flood control in the region.
You can download MLIT's G-Cans Minecraft map for free from the official website of the Edogawa River Office, which manages the facility. To enjoy this experience, you'll need at least Version 1.21.1 of Minecraft Bedrock Edition or Version 1.21.0 of Minecraft Education Edition.
