[HN Gopher] The underground cathedral protecting Tokyo from floods
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       The underground cathedral protecting Tokyo from floods
        
       Author : barry-cotter
       Score  : 13 points
       Date   : 2025-07-10 10:30 UTC (3 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.bbc.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.bbc.com)
        
       | gnabgib wrote:
       | (2018) Discussion at the time (127 points, 30 comments)
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18570076
       | 
       | There was also a good NYT article in 2017 (293 points, 210
       | comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15436943
        
       | srvmshr wrote:
       | I have been to this place.
       | 
       | It is limited viewing, requires a reservation & the slots run out
       | practically in seconds. Tough for us residents to get it as well.
       | My wife could snag it in her third try, as a late birthday trip
       | last year.
       | 
       | It is gargantuan & having massive holding capacity. To give
       | semblance with something familiar, it was like standing in NY
       | Grand Central station, except it was felt bigger, empty, damp &
       | illuminated by floodlights from all sides. It is probably one and
       | half football fields in length & scales high as much as a five
       | storied building. Uploaded three pics to show the scale of this
       | megalith. (The base of the pillars here are taller than average
       | height of person to give a rough scale. The stairs come down from
       | the ground level)
       | 
       | https://i.imgur.com/Jtcy0Ct.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/8Q08eKS.jpeg
       | https://i.imgur.com/y75sfGP.jpeg
       | 
       | In addition to this underground chamber, there are two massive
       | pumps on either sides, which divert the water from whichever
       | river is surging to the other (Arakawa & Edogawa possibly). The
       | chamber is the buffer zone between the rivers, not a safety tank
       | essentially. I was told by the civil engineer of this plant they
       | could pump out as much as a jumbo jet's volume per minute in the
       | storm surge channel. You can walk up to the turbine room, and see
       | the massive blades at an arm length. All with earthquake
       | protection in place as well. Honestly mind-blowing piece of
       | engineering.
        
       | FigurativeVoid wrote:
       | Incredible.
       | 
       | I sometimes forget that manga writers use very real locations as
       | references. I believe this is the backdrop for several Tokyo
       | Ghoul scenes.
        
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       (page generated 2025-07-13 23:00 UTC)