※This article was published at
September 2015.※
I was blissfully unaware of the existence of the Kanmon Tunnel, which crosses between Fukuoka and Yamaguchi Prefectures, even though I had been to Shimonoseki many times. For some reason there is not much talk about it online as a tourist destination, and even I only discovered it by accident! I suppose the locals are so used to it and see it as just a regular way to cross the sea (from beneath), but for me it was a delightful little adventure!
Regardless of which side of the tunnel you decide to enter, if you are a pedestrian it will be completely free, and if you are on your bicycle it will be 20 yen. However, no one actually issues you with a ticket for your bicycle, there is just a small box in front of the entrance where people drop in a coin and head to the elevators. Having said that, please do pay respect to the crossing and the people who keep it clean, and make sure that you pay if you are bringing a bicycle even though no one is watching. It is of course the right thing to do, and it’s very inexpensive.
Once you pass the entrance, you will head towards the elevators, which will take you all the way down to the bottom floor where the actual tunnel is. They do this very swiftly, and although I can’t remember the exact number sadly, I think it was about 8 stories down. When you exit the elevator you will be right at the beginning of the tunnel and you can begin to cross it.
The first thing that you will notice is how no one else except the tourists gets excited about this. To be fair, it’s not a roller coaster ride, but there’s just something about being under the sea that makes you feel a little different.
They even went through the effort of painting the walls to make it feel a little more like the bottom of the sea, which was a pretty fun photo shoot with my friend and I! Accompanied of course by the unavoidable Under the Sea!!! song from the Little Mermaid.!
It takes about 15 minutes to cross the tunnel one way (45 if you get carried away with the photo shoot), and there are some lovely soft cream and drink shops on both sides for you to enjoy. As I said, it may not be Disney Land, but it does make for a very interesting stroll!
Kanmon Tunnel
Address: 22-34 Mimosusogawacho
Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture 751-0813
Price: Free for pedestrians, 20 yen for bicycles.
Map:
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