The marvel that is Tokyo’s stormwater system, what can we learn?

• Is it possible to build a sewage system beautiful enough to make it a tourist attraction for your city?

• There’s a scene in the TV show ‘Ted Lasso’ where the protagonist of the show, a coach, took his team to the sewers of London to marvel at the feat of engineering that was the poop cleaning space underground.

• Beneath Tokyo's neon pulse lies an unsung marvel — a complex stormwater system, designed to combat floods. In a city where modernity meets tradition, this engineering wonder stands as a beacon of resilience. Beyond mere flood control, envisioning these waterways as Urban Canals for Recreation offers a duality of purpose — protection and leisure. Tokyo's tale underscores that in every challenge, there's an opportunity for innovation.

• Tokyo's underground stormwater storage, the G-Cans Project, can hold up to 670,000 m³ of water, the equivalent of 267 Olympic-sized swimming pools!

• The tension between utilitarian infrastructure and the potential for recreational spaces. Can a city's protective measures also be its recreational hubs? There should be more Ted Lassoesque expeditions to underground treatment plants. Tokyo might have just pulled off a double deal for themselves with the space they created!