Does listening to music change the way how you see things? If so, a water tunnel in Kobe is the right place for you. Minatogawa Zuido tunnel has become a remarkable venue for live music such as jazz, brass bands, and choruses.

The water tunnel was originally built to redirect the then Minatogawa river flowing through Kobe. It is viewed as Japan’s oldest water tunnel and was made in the wake of a flood in 1896.

Minatogawa Zuido was completed in 1901 and was also considered as one of the largest river tunnels in the world at that time. It has a height of 7.6 meters and a width of 7.3 meters.

Its architecture was thought to be advanced at that time. The music reverberates ambiently within the tunnel’s walls. Last February 2019, a crowd of 180 people enjoyed a concert held by a local chorus of students.

“Their singing voices came down from the ceiling, and I felt like I was being enveloped in them,” said Chiaki Shimizu, 50, who was a first time visitor. Guests from outside Kobe come to visit the tunnel to this day.