"Minecraft Features Free Tokyo Underground Map, Courtesy of Japanese Government"

The Japanese government has unveiled a fascinating Minecraft map that replicates the world’s largest underground flood prevention facility, the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, affectionately known as G-Cans. This free-to-download map offers players a unique opportunity to explore one of Tokyo's lesser-known iconic locations right from their homes.

G-Cans is not just a marvel of modern engineering; it's a real-life disaster prevention facility renowned for its awe-inspiring "pressure adjustment water tank." This vast cavernous space, supported by 59 massive pillars, resembles an underground temple—dubbed "chika shinden" in Japan—and its epic scale makes it a perfect setting for everything from music videos to Japanese TV dramas like Kamen Rider and films.

In dry seasons, you can tour G-Cans in person, but now, thanks to the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), you can also delve into this atmospheric facility through Minecraft. The ministry has released a video on their official YouTube channel, providing a glimpse of G-Cans in Minecraft's distinctive blocky world.

The Minecraft G-Cans map goes beyond just the facility itself. It includes an overground area complete with rivers, homes, and neighborhoods, illustrating how G-Cans protects real-life communities. Players can step into the control room and experiment with draining flood water into the shafts, offering a hands-on understanding of the facility's operations.

MLIT's recreation of G-Cans in Minecraft is more than just a game; it's an educational tool designed to inform players about the facility and its role in disaster prevention. The map highlights the sheer size of G-Cans, whose concrete tunnels extend 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 and gradually releases it into the larger Edogawa River and Tokyo Bay. Since its completion in 2006 after over a decade of construction, G-Cans has significantly mitigated flooding risks in the region.

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