Date of interview: 06/16/2013 (Sun.)
We will stay overnight in Unazuki Onsen, and the next day we will take the Kurobe Gorge Railway to Zelkidaira. It is the Dashihira Dam owned by Kansai Electric Power Company that comes into view on the right hand side in the direction of travel when riding that Kurobe Gorge Railway.
The Dashihei Dam is dedicated to power generation, and water taken from this dam is sent to the Shin Yanagigawara Power Station upstream of the Unazuki Dam and to the Otosawa Power Station downstream, generating up to 165,200 kW in total.
Dashihei Dam gradually coming into view
I am thrilled and excited to see the dam for the first time, but it will be quite a challenge to photograph it from a running trolley car. I want to see it! I want to take pictures! I kept pressing the shutter button with a single mind of "I want to see it!
Zoomed in and confused.
揺れる車内。それも移動しながらのためどこをどう撮ろうとか考える余裕もありません💦しかしそれでも出し平ダムのすばらしいかっこよさ。特にこの独特な導流壁！
Downstream view of the levee from the Kurobe Gorge Railway on the right bank
I was unable to get a good angle and finally approached the embankment. I would have liked to get off the train to take pictures, but I had no experience in mountain climbing and was lightly equipped, and only KEPCO personnel are allowed to get off at the nearby Dehira Station.
View of the top from the right bank...m
The Dashihei Dam, which is mercilessly passing away.
Retry on the way home!
The Kurobe Gorge Railway is usually a round trip for normal sightseeing. Therefore, we leave a gleam of hope for the return trip.
Downstream view of the levee from the right bank
I can't keep conveying my frustration. I must tell them about the Dashihei Dam. The Dashihei Dam has three radial gates on its crest. In addition, there is one sand discharge gate on each side of the lower part of the dam. The sand discharge gates of the Dashihei Dam were the first of their kind in Japan, and although they caused problems for the fishing industry in the early days, sand discharge is now being carried out in cooperation with the Unazuki Dam, which is located downstream.
The ones that are gnarled out from the top edge upstream on either side are spare gates for the sand discharge gate.
It's hard to find the right moment to release the shutter.
The valve discharge on the left bank at this time was a river maintenance discharge, but since the completion of the Dashihei Power Station, a hydroelectric power station utilizing this river maintenance discharge, in 2015, the atmosphere of this part of the river may be a little different now. The maximum output of the Dashihei Power Station is 520 kW, which is not very large, but the river maintenance discharge is carried out throughout the year, and I think the spirit of not wasting that energy is good.
Time to finally say goodbye
The time to say goodbye to the Dashihei Dam has finally come. I would like to see it again someday at close range...that's how I feel about the Dashihei Dam.
Dashidaira Dam Specifications
| Location | Kurobe Okuyama National Forest, Unazuki-cho, Kurobe City, Toyama |
| River Name | Kurobe River System Kurobe River |
| Objective | P(Power generation) |
| Model | G(gravity-fed concrete dam) |
| Bank height | 76.7m |
| Bank length | 136m |
| Dam volume | 203,000 m3 |
| Watershed Area | 461.2 km2 |
| Reservoir area | 35 ha |
| Total storage capacity | 9,010,000 m3 |
| Effective water storage capacity | 1,657,000 m3 |
| Dam operator | Kansai Electric Power Co. |
| Main body constructor | Maeda Corporation, Nishimatsu Corporation, Tobishima Corporation, Konoike Corporation |
| Year of launch | 1980 |
| Year Completed | 1985 |
| Name of Dam Lake | - |
Other facilities/observations
The Dashidaira Dam can only be seen from the Kurobe Gorge Railway. The train is not in operation all year round, but is closed during the winter.
| Parking lot | × |
| Toilet | × |
| Park | × |
| PR Exhibition Hall | × |
| Fishing | × |
Comment