Deep below the streets of Tokyo, a colossal tunneling machine has ground a path through the earth.

Over 13 meters (42 feet) wide, the shield tunneling machine lays concrete walls as it goes, leaving behind a 4.5 kilometer (2.8 mile) tunnel designed to capture vast quantities of rain that might otherwise flood the homes above.

Tokyo already boasts an extensive system of tunnels, drainage channels and storage cisterns, but like much of the world, Japan is coping with unprecedented weather due to climate change, forcing it to dig once more.

The summer of 2024 was the hottest since records began in 1898, Japan's weather agency said in September. In Tokyo, sudden, violent storms known as "guerrilla" downpours have become increasingly commonplace.