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The Seikan Tunnel
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It took forty years to complete the mammoth civil engineering project that is the
Seikan Tunnel
. Joining Honshu with Hokkaido, the tunnel is 53.9km long, and over half its length is underwater, making it the world's longest submarine transport link. Travelling through Seikan isn't recommended for the claustrophobic: even the fastest train takes an hour to complete the underground portion of the journey, with the tunnel sinking to 240m beneath sea level at its deepest point. If you're comfortable with being this far down, however, you may want to go on a
tour
of the submarine facilities, which include a small exhibition area and a warren of passageways, one of which has its own cable-car link with the shore. For an extra A?820 on top of your train fare, you can get off at one of the mid-tunnel stations (145m below sea level), where you'll be shown around by a Japanese-speaking guide. The tours must be booked in advance at JR ticket counters and are held on the slower
kaisoku
(rapid), not
tokkyu
(limited express), trains. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Japan,
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