The roots of the heart of this site. And an oasis of the heart. Yahagi First Dam.

Location: Kanrase-cho, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture ［Japanese onlyright bank (shore)Gifu Prefecture]
Official Web site:.http://www.cbr.mlit.go.jp/yahagi/

View of the levee from downstream

From Toyota City, take Prefectural Road 11 and head upstream along the Yahagi River, passing through Fujioka Town and Obara Village to Asahi Town. Continue north and turn right at the intersection near the Asahi Town Hall. Take winding Prefectural Road No. 356 further upstream.
Anyway, you can reach it by driving along the Yahagi River. This is the largest dam in the Yahagi River system, so it is probably familiar to residents in the area.

View of the embankment from the right bank

Immediately after the Tokai torrential rainstorm that occurred in September 2000, I visited the Yahagi No. 1 Dam and found photos of the dam as it was discharging water, which I would like to share with the public. It was the first time I witnessed the Yahagi Dam discharging water, and needless to say, I was terrified.

Downstream view of the levee from the right bank

The photos below were taken on 8/11/2003. At that time, water was being discharged through one conduit gate. As expected, the flow rate was not as high as during the torrential rain in Tokai.

conduit gate

Zoomed in on the gate area during the discharge.

View of the discharge from the top edge

The photo was also taken by looking through the top edge.

View of the dam lake from the top

The water level appears to have increased considerably above the normal full water level.

selective intake

View of the administration office

View of the levee from the downstream side of the left bank

Further up the conduit gate

Sub-dam (upstream side)

Because the flow was relatively high at this time, the water level at the damhead exceeded that of the sub-dam, making it look like a waterfall.

View of the sub-dam (downstream side)

Yahagi Dam Specifications

Model	arched concrete dam
Bank height	100.0m
Bank length	323.1m
Dam volume	350,427m³
Elevation of non-overflow area	E.L.300.0m
catchment area	504.5 km²
Reservoir area	2.7km²
Total storage capacity	80,000,000m³
Effective water storage capacity	65,000,000m³
Year Completed	1970

Other facilities/observations

Since the year of completion is relatively old, the aging is noticeable in many places. It used to be a thriving tourist destination, but it is now deserted, and you can often see people touring alone or motorists lounging around.
The dilapidation will not be about the dam but about the pavilion and information signs. Also, there are very many motorcycles during the touring season, and the recent dam boom has increased the number of visitors considerably.

The embankment is also passable for automobiles and serves as a bridge. Come to think of it, I once saw a "wild boar" near the dam around spring. Please be careful...