Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.
Updated
The Kawasaki Man-Made Island is in the middle of an undersea tunnel between Kisarazu City and Kawasaki City across the Tokyo bay. Apparently they started boring the tunnel from the island towards each side.
Thanks: Daryl, Callum, Benet, Alex, pooms & Jacob
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It is the Kawasaki Artificial Island, which is part of the Tokyo Wan Aqua-Line. According to Wikipedia, the tunnel, which connects Kawasaki to Kisarazu, is about 10 miles long.
A close-up picture of the island can be found [here][1]. You also can see one of the entrances to the tunnel [here][2] (it is directly in line with the island), which also serves as some sort of tourist attraction:
[1]: http://www.penta-ocean.co.jp/english/works/work_data02_08.html
[2]: Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
pooms said:
> It’s called the “[Kawasaki Man-Made Island][2]� and is in the middle of an
undersea tunnel across tokyo bay. Apparently they started boring the tunnel
from the island towards each side.
(From the [Tokyo Tower comments thread][1])
[2]: http://www.kajima.co.jp/topics/news_notes/vol3/v3a.htm
[1]: http://www.googlesightseeing.com/2005/06/24/tokyo-tower/#comments
If you scroll to the southeast of this you can see a dock-like structure going out into the water. This is where cars enter the tunnel.
That’s amazing! Hey, you Tokyo-philes anyone know where the entrances are to the G-Cans network, seen Here. Or is it all underground and covered up. Tokyo is MIND-BLOWING from space, isn’t it. I’ve spent hours now following Shinkansen lines and sightseeing the back alleys, looks good from up here.
This is the other side of the tunnel, Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
And if you look closely you see you can go north or south into other tunnels. The north one comes up at the airport not too far away. The south on comes up here, Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth and then you can turn north again into another tunnel!
This is one of the coolest industrial areas I have ever seen.
Where does the tunnel start to get there
The Aqualine starts Kisarazu City - right lower of Placemark: this image / Google Earth, bridged between a artificial island called “Placemark: Umihotaru / Google Earth” (”Ocean Firefly”), then goes underneath toward Kawasaki City Placemark: exit / Google Earth.
There are lots of fun in Umihotaru island, like museum, observation deck, shops, restraunts etc.
Bridge photo
Umihotaru photo
Umihotaru photo 2
I was thinking this was the second attempt by the government to build a spaceship to visit aliens. “Why build one, when you can have two at twice the price.”
If you scroll a little.. well, okay, a very very long way southeast, you’ll see this smoking volcano:
Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
That crater is huge! and look at the smoke!
That island is Miyakejima, I think.
Miyakejima volcane erupted in 2000 and all of thousands of islanders left to Tokyo, but now they are getting back there.
Here is some photos of eruption 2000.