Blue Tunnel

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The Blue Tunnel (青の洞門, ao no dōmon^?) is a tourist attraction located between the city of Nakatsu and Yabakei town in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Legend has is that the 185 metre tunnel was built by hand, with only a hammer and chisel over a period of 30 years during the Edo period. A Buddhist monk named Zenkai decided to build the tunnel to compensate for a murder he committed in his earlier life. Many people used to clamber over the cliffs through which the tunnel is built to get to a popular local shrine. Unfortunately the path was very dangerous and people regularly fell to their death. As recompense for his crimes Zenkai decided (aged 49) to dedicate 30 years of his life to the construction of a safe passage for worshipers.