Tokyo's Underground Floodwater Cathedral
Apr. 21st, 2020 09:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingThe underground cathedral protecting Tokyo from floods
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181129-the-underground-cathedral-protecting-tokyo-from-floods
Cecilia Tortajada recalls making her way down a long staircase and into of one of Japan’s engineering marvels, an enormous water tank that crowns Tokyo’s defences against flooding. When she finally reached the tank’s ground, she stood among the dozens of 500-tonne pillars supporting the ceiling. In the cavernous, shrine-like cistern, she felt humbled.
If Japan is a pilgrimage destination for disaster and risk-management experts like her, this is one of its main temples. The floodwater cathedral hidden 22 meters underground is part of the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (MAOUDC), a 6.3 km long system of tunnels and towering cylindrical chambers that protect North Tokyo from flooding.
I have to admit that, even though I've known about this for years, I assumed it was an urban legend. The way I've always heard people refer to this structure is "Tōkyō no hashira" (the Pillars of Tokyo), which sounds a little like a Zelda dungeon. It's wild that this is real, and the photographs in the article are stunning.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181129-the-underground-cathedral-protecting-tokyo-from-floods
Cecilia Tortajada recalls making her way down a long staircase and into of one of Japan’s engineering marvels, an enormous water tank that crowns Tokyo’s defences against flooding. When she finally reached the tank’s ground, she stood among the dozens of 500-tonne pillars supporting the ceiling. In the cavernous, shrine-like cistern, she felt humbled.
If Japan is a pilgrimage destination for disaster and risk-management experts like her, this is one of its main temples. The floodwater cathedral hidden 22 meters underground is part of the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (MAOUDC), a 6.3 km long system of tunnels and towering cylindrical chambers that protect North Tokyo from flooding.
I have to admit that, even though I've known about this for years, I assumed it was an urban legend. The way I've always heard people refer to this structure is "Tōkyō no hashira" (the Pillars of Tokyo), which sounds a little like a Zelda dungeon. It's wild that this is real, and the photographs in the article are stunning.
