The Japan Coast Guard released a Minecraft map based on official submarine topographic data around Japan’s coastline on May 12. The world is available to download for free for both Java and Bedrock.
In order to ensure safe navigations, secure maritime interests and prevent potential disasters, Japan’s coast guard conducts regular examinations of the submarine topography around the coast of Japan. To celebrate the official “Japan Coast Guard Day,” which is, coincidentally, May 12, the organization created and published a Minecraft map based on data obtained from their research. So, I took this opportunity to try out the world for myself and explore the seas of (and around) Japan.
Entering the world, the player spawns in an area near Tokyo, and right ahead of it is Tokyo Bay. As explained, the map is not a 1:1 life-sized replica of Japan, and the terrain’s shape and scale slightly differ from reality.
Going south, shallow land stretches ahead. These are the islands belonging to the Seven Islands of Izu and the Iwojima ridge – like Hachijo-jima and Nishinoshima, for example. Some of these islands are active volcanoes, and seeing them all lined up like this really helps one get a sense of the tectonic plates which make up the land of Japan.
Then, if you keep going south, you’ll arrive at the Mariana Trench. The Mariana Trench is known for being the deepest oceanic trench on Earth, reaching the maximum depth of about 10,984 meters at its deepest point, the Challenger Deep. But maybe a lesser-known fact is that it was the Japan Coast Guard who first measured this depth. In the scaled-down Minecraft world, the ocean is peaceful, but in reality, what awaits down there is darkness, far away from the sunlight’s reach.
The Minecraft map is available for free via the official website of Japan Coast Guard’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department. While data is available in both the Java and Bedrock formats, please keep in mind that importing the Bedrock version data for platforms other than PC and mobile will require you to use Minecraft Realms.
Additionally, the website also includes a tool which allows you to look up block coordinates from a map. In case you want to visit a specific area of the ocean, you can use the tool to obtain commands for instantly teleporting there. Since the world lacks trees, it might not be suitable for trying out in survival mode, though everyone interested should definitely check it out.
On a related note, this isn’t the first time the Japanese authorities have made a whole Minecraft world for educational purposes. In 2025, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) recreated the “Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel,” the world’s largest underground flood control facility.
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