The "Gurutto Shinshu Dam Meguri Dam Stamp Rally 2023" is being held in Nagano Prefecture until November 30, 2023 (Thursday). Visitors who collect stamps will receive a limited-edition original dam design can badge, an original dam card holder, and an original towel designed by the Nagano Prefectural Bureau of Public Enterprises' original character "Suimochi Meg".
The contents of the program are designed for dam enthusiasts, but to make it easier for the general public to participate, the hurdle has been lowered, and there is a "W Chance Prize" to win "Ringo Wagyu Shinshu Beef Steak Meat," a brand-name Japanese beef from Shinshu, by visiting at least three dams. This is very important not only for dam enthusiasts, but also for the wider public to know about dams.
However, it took me a total of three days to complete the project because I had not done my own preliminary research and there were many other things to do. It is a bit too exaggerated to call it a strategy, but I hope you will make use of this article as part of your preliminary research.
2023.8.9 (1st day of stamp rally)
On the previous day, I was planning to participate in the "Kuroyon 60th Anniversary Limited Special Event 'Kurobe Dam Tour'" and stay overnight at a hotel in Omachi City, and on that day, I was going to visit Takase Dam, but the weather was not cooperative, so I suddenly decided to participate in the "Round and Round Shinshu Dam Tour Dam Stamp Rally 2023".
1. Okusoka Dam
First, we came to Okusoka Dam, the nearest dam from Omachi City. However, I made a mistake from the very beginning. The stamp was supposed to be stamped at the downstream Susohana Dam, not here.
However, I had not yet visited Okusoka Dam, so I took the opportunity to look around.
I think the reason why stamping is not done here is because it is a digital stamp rally that uses smart phones, so the signal is very weak and there are frequent roadblocks deep in the mountains.
2. Susohana Dam
Next, we came to the Susohana Dam. There is a POP stand type QR code in front of the management office here, and you can get three stamps of Okusoka Dam, Susohana Dam, and Yunose Dam at once. The POP will probably be put away after hours.
It had been 19 years since I had visited the Susoka Dam. The top end of the dam was in the middle of widening work and off-limits, but there is now an observation platform on the right bank, which was not there 19 years ago, so visitors can enjoy the downstream view of the embankment.
3. Yunose Dam
When I visited the Susoka Dam 19 years ago, I did not notice the existence of the Yunose Dam immediately downstream, so I took the trouble to visit it this time. The Yunose Dam was constructed as a reverse regulating reservoir for the Susoka Power Plant, and a dam-type power plant, the Yunose Itookashi Power Plant, is currently under construction.
The name of the power plant was decided by public solicitation, and was named after the first letter of Imoi, Togakushi, Otagiri, Shikarami, and Kinasato, all of which are villages near the power plant. I thought the name was quite good, as it also means "dear hometown.
Toyooka Dam
Next, we went to the Toyooka Dam. The roadway leading to the downstream face of the embankment passes by a quarry, but in addition to being a gravel road, it is quite puddled and looks like aOmori River DamIt seemed to be a forest road leading to When we finally reached there, the view was as you can see.
Toyooka Dam offers a view of Suzaka City from its top edge, and furthermore, Nagano City can be seen across the Shinano River. I thought it might be a night view spot, but from what I have seen on SNS, it seems that not many people come to see the night view. It may be because of the distance to the city center. Toyooka Dam used to hold light-up events often, but what about these days?
You can get a stamp at the Kura-no-Machi Tourist Exchange Center. If you visit the Toyooka Dam site, you should also get a dam card. Incidentally, if you come after the Susohana Dam, it is better to visit the Kanko Koryu Center first because the Kanko Koryu Center is located in front of the Toyooka Dam. However, in that case, you will not be able to get a dam card, which requires a photo of the dam, so you will need to consider the 30-40 minute round-trip travel time. Note that since the stamp is located inside the building, it cannot be stamped after business hours.
5. Sugadaira Dam
From the Kuranomachi Tourist Exchange Center, we headed south on Route 406 to Sugadaira Dam. On the way, we were surprised to find that the national highway was quite a technical course with sharp slopes and continuous sharp curves. We also passed through the Sugadaira Plateau for the first time in midsummer, but we had no idea that it was a mecca for rugby, and there were many rugger players visiting for their summer training camps, so we lost a little time here as well.
Stamps are posted on the glass windows of the entrance of the Administration Office and the windshield room, so you can probably stamp them even after hours. Incidentally, there are no parking spaces along the national highway at Sugadaira Dam, so please ask to park in the parking lot near the management office across the top of the dam.
Since I was there, I took a good look at the Sugadaira Dam.
6. Yukawa Dam
We did not visit the Yukawa Dam site because we gradually ran out of time. Sorry about that. The stamp will be given at "Ecole Miyota". You will find the office on your left as soon as you enter the entrance, and there is a stand with a QR code there. I only stamped because I could not see the staff, but it seems that you can also get a Yukawa Dam card here. The stamp is in the building, so it cannot be stamped after hours.
7. Yokogawa Dam
The Kayabuki-no-Kan was open until 5:00 p.m., but we arrived just three minutes before.
When I got inside, I couldn't find where the QR code was, so I asked one of the museum staff, but he must have been a part-timer, because he didn't have a clue.
POPs, QR codes, and other information on the table at the back right of the entrance.dam cardThere is a card for the power station. Please note that it is inside the building and cannot be pressed after hours.
I visited Yokogawa Dam in 2020, but at that time the Yokogawa Snake Stone Power Plant was still under construction and I could not enter the downstream area; I decided to take a short tour of Yokogawa Dam since it was after 5 p.m. and I would not be able to get any more stamps other than this one.
The renovated downstream area is now a plaza. The power plant was also quite elaborate, with the interior visible through glass and a switch that turns on the interior lighting and projects a projector image.
I started to head home after having dinner, but I suddenly remembered that the Takato Dam can be stamped at the Takato Sakura Hotel. And the hours are until 22:00. So I asked my son, who was sitting in the passenger seat, to look up information on food and beverages at the hotel, and he came up with a shocking revelation.
To my surprise, the entire Takato Sakura Hotel was closed that day. I am surprised myself at the bad timing, but a high school student in the passenger seat with a smart phone is very convenient. Thanks to her, I didn't have to waste time. In the end, I decided to go straight home that day.
The travel route for the day went like this. If we had not stopped at Okusoka Dam and Toyooka Dam, we could have made it a little more time efficient.
The stamps I got on day 1 are shown in the scrub below, and I was able to stamp 7 of the 15 units, or about half of them.
2023.8.14 (2nd day of stamp rally)
The stamp rally could not be completed in one day, and I was wondering when to schedule the second day, but the day came quickly. I had just finished work in the morning because I had some business in Gifu and decided to head to Nagano in the afternoon.
8. Matsukawa Dam
The first dam of the day was Matsukawa Dam. It had been a long time since my last visit. There is a QR code on the entrance door of the control center, so you can probably get a stamp even after hours. Here, you can also get the Katagiri Dam at the same time. Incidentally, Matsukawa Dam was the first dam we visited in 19 years.
Since it had been a while, we took a tour of the dike.
9. Katagiri Dam
As usual, we did not go through Katagiri Dam to save time. Although we had visited this dam several years ago, we were still reluctant to go to the next dam.
10. Kobushi Dam
Next we came to the Kosibu Dam. This event is sponsored by the Nagano Prefectural Enterprise Bureau, but it is also nice to see that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's dam is properly included in the stamp rally. The QR code for the Kosibu Dam is located in the Information Center, so it is not possible to stamp it after hours.
Since we are here, we will take a quick tour of the Kosibu Dam.
The Kosibu Dam is best seen from here, as I noticed from a Twitter follower that the dam lake, which is usually milky white and muddy, was unusually deep green that day.
11. Miwa Dam
I came to Miwa Dam from Kosibu Dam via Bunge Pass. The QR code for Miwa Dam is located at the back of the entrance of the administration office, so it is not possible to get it after hours.
We don't have much time, so we will take a quick look at Miwa Dam.
12. Takato Dam
After Miwa Dam, we went to Takato Dam. It is very close by, thank goodness. The QR code for the Takato Dam is on the desk where the POP stand has dam cards, power plant cards, and now, water watch meg cards. It seems to be removed after hours, but if you look closely, you can see it posted on the window glass, so it seems to be possible to get it even after hours. However, if you go there late at night or at strange hours, you may look suspicious, so please be careful (lol).
We didn't have time for a quick tour, so we didn't look at it from the bridge downstream.
13. Minowa Dam
We decided to get the Minowa Dam stamp at Minowa Terrace, which has a direct sales shop for agricultural products and a restaurant.
The QR code for the Minowa Dam is located inside the Farm Terrace Minowa, a direct sales store. Note that it is posted on the inside window and cannot be stamped after hours. I thought of buying some pears and peaches as souvenirs, but since it was close to evening, they did not have any in stock, so I gave up. It is really better to come to the direct sales place first thing in the morning.
14. Narai Dam
Now, finally, there are only two units left! Sarai" is playing in my brain. We arrived at the Narai Dam just before 17:00, just in time. It was really just in time.
The QR code for the Narai Dam is posted on the entrance door. This would allow visitors to come after hours and still get a stamp, but a shocking revelation was made at the Misogawa Dam. Please read to the end.
I also received a dam card, but it was the day a typhoon was approaching, and the staff told me that they were working on closing the office a little early because a typhoon was coming.
At that time, the water level of the Narai Dam was quite low, and there were even reports of it here and there. It has been a long time since then, but I wonder how it is now...
15. Misogawa Dam
Now, finally, the last stamp! I don't know if I will be able to get it because it is after hours. I went to the Misogawa Dam Disaster Prevention Museum (Kiso River Headwaters Fureaikan) on the left bank first. Of course, I could not enter the museum because it was after closing time, and unfortunately, I could not get the stamp because it was in the back of the museum.
However, you can also push the button at the Misogawa Dam at the control center on the right bank of the river. This is posted on the entrance door, so you can press the button 24 hours a day. However, please be careful not to go there at odd hours as it may look suspicious (lol).
Well, now we are complete! Now we just need to see the lookout and downstream before dark. It is indeed cool here.
The animation "Bokchi Za Rokku! The miracle of the caracara of the band tie being regenerated just as we were about to head downstream, which is also the sacred place of the "Bocchi Zalokku!
Although not discharged, it is unmistakably a pilgrimage to the holy place of "Bocchi Za Rokku! It is a pilgrimage to the holy land of "BOTCHI ZA ROKKU!
And here's the shocking revelation. When I finished the whole process and tried to apply for the prizes... what? No entry form appears? Why is that: ？？？？ .........
The Narai Dam is not pushing it!
I also reloaded the file and there is no mistake. For some reason, the Narai dam is not supposed to have been pushed. I thought the direction I pushed ran, but it must have failed to reflect properly due to communication failure or something. This may be the case,Always check to see if you were able to push it locally.Let's do it.
Well, but don't panic yourself. The Narai Dam has a QR code posted on the glass window of the entrance. I was sure I could press the QR code even after hours. I decided to go back the way I came, trying to go to Narai Dam calmly without panicking or making a fuss.
And then we arrived. ...hmm? Huh?
Shutter aaaaahhhh ！！！！！！
The QR code had been obscured by the shutter. I don't know if it was because a typhoon was approaching or if the dam usually closes at 17:00, but anyway, I was disheartened by the fact that I had to come back only for the Narai Dam.
This time, we went around Inadani in a counterclockwise direction as shown below.
2023.8.27 (3rd day of stamp rally)
On the third day, I took a route that I thought was a little crazy. The day before I got the stamp, I went to Big Sight on a business trip to Tokyo. The day before I got the stamp, I went to Big Sight on a business trip to Tokyo. And I drove there by car.
After finishing work at Big Sight, I stayed overnight at a hotel nearby. The next day was the 20th anniversary of the completion of the Rainbow Bridge, so I went for a walk to see it. It is indeed Tokyo that you can cross the Rainbow Bridge on foot.
I came to see the dam in Odaiba, Tokyo. The height of the embankment is said to be raised from 19.7m to 21.7m depending on the mode.
By the way, this is the hotel where I actually stayed 👇.
The next morning, after much hesitation about where to go, we went to the Tokyo Gate Bridge. Like the Rainbow Bridge, people can cross the bridge, but unfortunately, a lightning warning was issued that day, preventing us from crossing.
Then we went to Sanshuya to greet Miyajima-san, who was discharged from the hospital. I saw Paniapa-san's dam jockey for the first time. (I didn't drink it.)
I think this is the first time I ate something other than dam curry, lol.
After leaving Sanshuya, we drove west on the R246 to Mount Onoyama in Yamakita-cho, Kanagawa Prefecture. We stayed overnight in the car here.
The target is Mt! ...not,
The purpose was to watch the Miho Dam from here.
After enjoying the Miho Dam from the top of Mt. On the way, we stopped by the sacred place of the "Super Cub".
And here we are at the Narai Dam! It seems like a long time has passed, but we are mostly just moving around by car. We left the Onoyama parking lot around 7:00 a.m. and arrived at the Narai Dam around 12:30 p.m., so it took us about five and a half hours. On the way, we got stuck in a traffic jam around Lake Yamanakako, went around the Super Cub sacred place, and had lunch at Michi no Eki Oshiba Park, so I think the travel time could be a little shorter.
We were concerned about the water level, so we checked the upstream side of the river as well. The water level had dropped even more since our last visit.
And then...! Finally...! The goal... ！！！！
I made sure I pressed it correctly many times, lol.
The "Round Shinshu Dam Stamp Rally 2023" will be held until November 30, 2023 (Thu.), so be sure to participate as soon as possible!
Nagano Prefectural Enterprise Bureau Press Release Page
Stamp Rally Page
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