To the tunnel of tragedy

I came to paraglider school as usual, but area closed antecedently we arrive for bad weather. What a pity because today I’m bringing a new member.

So we came Toyohama Tunnel (豊浜トンネル, toyohama ton’neru). Toyohama Tunnel is famous for killed 20 people. In my elementary school student era, most impressiveness matters are “Great Hanshin earthquake (阪神・淡路大震災, hanshin awaji dai-shinsai)”, “Tokyo subway sarin attack (地下鉄サリン事件, chikatetsu sarin jiken)”, and this “Toyohama Tunnel Base Rock Collapse Down Accident (豊浜トンネル岩盤崩落事故, toyohama tun’nel ganban hōraku jiko)”. I want see that scene with my eyes. How will that scene which happened behind TV be now.

Around of Toyohama Tunnel is like this. I’m going to go to collapse point in the middle from right cenotaph. Area brtweeen Seta-kamui Rock and Cape Charatsu-nai is surrounded by heugh, so as normal we can’t reach it. There are some tunnels but all closed.

Well, this picture is how we went. We traced the orange line. Get down from parking to shore, and throgh Old Seta-kamui Zuido Tunnel (旧セタカムイ隧道, kyū seta kamui zuidō). Only one side of Old Seta-kamui Zuido Tunnel is closed, but we can enter because wall is torn. After tunnel, throgh craggy place, climb the rope, and enter the shelter of Seta-kamui Zuido Tunnel (セタカムイ隧道, seta kamui zuidō). Get away the shelter, climb up and enter the shed of Seta-kamui Tunnel (セタカムイトンネル, seta kamui ton’neru). There is the rope here, but we can without it. Rather it’s dangerous that use rope because it’s too slim. Get away the shed, clean pavement remains to collapse point.

In front of cenotaph. I’m on road of 2 generations ago. Road of 2 generations ago was throughing Seta-kamui Zuido Tunnel on front of me. But now, it’s heaped up the soil and closed. So we’ll go to Old Seta-kamui Zuido Tunnel. It’s taken near a flag of photo, can you see? We burn incenses to cenotaph and go start. Road to Old Seta-kamui Zuido Tunnel is closed with fence, we get down to outflank.

This is mouth of Old Seta-kamui Zuido Tunnel. As you can see mouth is buried so we can’t confirm whole if do not approach. It have closed with iron plate, but lower left plate is off so we can enter.

2012-09-24 postscript

I roam to fishing, I detected that Old Seta-kamui Zuido Tunnel has closed completely. Can not use this route anymore.

First of all it is un blockading, because I can see light another side, but it is collapse downing.

The entrance from inside. We came from the largest interstice on right. Plate has many interstices, so gravel had incoming inside. I have no photo but 3 or 4 boats are left in tunnel.

The exit is narrow but we can through barely.

After Seta-kamui Zuido tunnel, pass craggy place and reach shelter of Seta-kamui Zuido Tunnel. Beach breaks off beyond here so we must enter shelter. Someone had tied a rope on nearest window, let’s use this rope.

Shelter is reinforced by steel frame, tunnel is blockaded by concrete. Bedrock collapses on December 1985, reinforced inside of tunnel with steel frame and operationed until completed Seta-kamui Tunnel. this frame seems of those days one.

Entrance of shelter. Height limit is 3.8 m. Name plate says it completed in 1967, but it should have been completed in 1956…

After pass Seta-kamui Zuido Tunnel, next is climbing to shed of Seta-kamui Tunnel. Just like orange line on photo, go to walk on retaining wall to dead end and climb up from bush.

Seta-kamui Tunnel had closed with concrete too. A bank of roads is amazing. I wonder if the road which I usually run is also inclined so much.

There is a wire mesh fence at the exit of Shed, but we were able to pass easily.
A few more to collapse point of Toyohama Tunnel.

Road surface is clean because it was active until 8 and half years ago. Prevention fence for falling stone is set, but somehow there are only small stones on the road. Enclose rocky cliffs that is above 100m are all covered by net.

We arrived. It’s Toyohama Tunnel. The Guanyin is enshrined on neighboring, and back of this is the collapse scene. Mass of rocks had removed, and grasses had planted there.
We burned incenses at the cenotaph of parking, but we should burned at here. Some other time, If I came here I’m going to burn here. I folded hands to console the souls on ahead of the mouth of tunnel and the Guanyin. The companion crossed his heart because he is a christian.
Finally, in addition we’ll go to Charase-nai Zuido Tunnel.

This cape name is “Charatsu-nai”, but tunnel name is “Charase-nai”. Completed year and length on nameplate run counter with Zuido Database. It was used for detour in Toyohama Tunnel collapse time.
That concludes the Toyohama Tunnel visit.