YAMATE TUNNEL: THE UNDERGROUND EXPRESSWAY
The Yamate Tunnel is an engineering marvel and a unique driving experience. At 18.2 kilometers, it's the longest road tunnel in Japan and one of the longest in the world. Driving through feels like entering another dimension beneath Tokyo.
The tunnel carries the C2 route beneath western Tokyo. From Oi Junction in the south to Itabashi Junction in the north, it bypasses the congested surface streets of Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro. Above, millions navigate traffic. Below, the expressway flows.
The driving experience is distinctly otherworldly. Tiled walls, sodium lighting, the hum of ventilation systems—for nearly twenty kilometers, there's no sky, no buildings, just the tunnel stretching ahead. It's modern infrastructure at its most impressive.
Completed in 2015, the Yamate Tunnel represents modern Wangan. Where the classic Wangan routes offered bayfront industry, C2 offers subterranean high-tech. The culture evolves with the infrastructure.
DRIVING THE TUNNEL
Late-night transit through the Yamate Tunnel is surreal. Light traffic, endless tunnel, smooth pavement—the experience feels almost meditative. It's a distinctly Tokyo driving experience that visitors should try.
The tunnel connects to several major expressway routes. It's part of the Central Circular Route that orbits central Tokyo. Combined with C1 and other routes, it enables circumnavigation of the capital entirely on expressways.