It has been a long time coming, but the "9th Gathering with Dam Lovers in Yokoyama Dam & Tokuyama Dam" was held on November 23, 2017 (Thursday/Holiday) with dam curryThis is a report on the "The
The "Gathering with Dam Lovers" itself is co-hosted by the Japan Water Agency and myself, so it was originally held at the Tokuyama Dam owned by the Agency, but with the cooperation of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, we decided to hold it together this time because the Yokoyama Dam is located downstream.
Yokoyama Dam visit
We will start with a visit to the Yokoyama Dam.
The weather was, as usual, unfortunately rainy. (I am such a rain man that I call myself a "water god.") It was only drizzling at the time of the meeting, and the weather forecast looked like it was going to rain later. But still, the embankment wet in the rain is not so bad.
After a few words of greeting, the "9th Gathering of Dam Lovers" finally got underway. Participants ranged from the elderly to elementary school students, and were truly men and women of all ages. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of people who have never met each other before, and this is a clear indication of the broadening base of dam enthusiasts. The number of participants with their families has also been increasing.
Visitors enter from the Fantasy Hall entrance just below the left bank. Some of the visitors were experiencing a hollow gravity concrete dam for the first time, and they were very pleased with the experience. Inside the Fantasy Hall, the director of the Yokoyama Dam Management Office gave an overview of the Yokoyama Dam.
After that, we climbed up the stairs to the top of the mountain. This is very painful, but it is strange that it comes back as a pleasant memory later on. (Maybe it's just me.)
We go out to the top edge and are briefed again. Rain is falling again...
We then took the elevator down again to the location of the orifice gate to view the gate, passed through the audit corridor to the fantasy hall, and finished the Yokoyama Dam tour.
I was very impressed by the director's explanation in a hushed voice.
Yokoyama Dam is a rare hollow gravity concrete dam, one of only 13 in Japan, and it is open for tours on weekdays with advance reservations. Also, last year (2017/2017), the "Season for Familiarization with Forests and LakesWhen the "Mere Old Man" is in town, he holds tours on Saturdays, so it may be a good idea to target these events.
Anyway, it is a manly dam, so please visit.
At Tokuyama Hall
After the Yokoyama Dam tour, we will move to Tokuyama Kaikan for lunch.
Since it was the season of autumn leaves, the event was expected to be crowded, so we asked the participants whether they would like to have a meal or not and whether they would like dam curry or not when they applied for participation. I also chose Tokuyama Dam Curry. By the way, when Tokuyama Dam Curry was born, I also gave some advice.
Afterwards, visitors will receive an overview of the dam lake and other information on the rooftop terrace of the Tokuyama Kaikan.
Visit to Tokuyama Dam
After the Tokuyama Kaikan, we will move to the Tokuyama Dam, where we will first receive an explanation at the observatory at the dam site.
After that, we will visit the inside of the dike. The photo below is of the lowest level of the Tokuyama Dam.
After touring the inside of the dike while climbing up and down stairs, we visited the selective intake tower. It began to rain heavily from this point on, and we were hurriedly picked up by a car from the management office and driven away.
I have been shown the inside of the selective intake tower several times, and the building itself is large and the windlass is huge.
The tour would normally have ended here, but the director announced a terrific surprise.
What a surprise to be allowed to see the levee from downstream!
The sight of the cars moving in formation was breathtaking, but when we arrived downstream, everyone had a big smile on their faces. The weather was changeable and very cold, but it was so special to be able to see the site from the downstream side that it was almost a blur.
And then it's over! Dismissed! But, a rock-paper-scissors-scissors tournament was held in the pouring rain for the "Kiso River Headwaters Dam Sake" prepared by the secretariat staff!
Anyway, we are very happy that everyone was satisfied with the event. The next event is still undecided, but we hope you will join us again!
Thank you again to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Japan Water Agency, and the secretariat staff who were involved in the preparations!
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