We would like to send you a report on the dam tour bus tour held on November 10, 2018 as part of the "Aichi Plateau and Okumikawa Okukuru Campaign" under the Aichi Prefecture's "Mountain Village Attraction Creation and Dissemination Project" aimed at attracting visitors from urban centers to revitalize the Mikawa mountain region.
In fact, four days before the event, we were contacted by the person in charge of the event who learned of the existence of this site,hastily prepared announcement articleI was invited to the event as a thank-you for the opportunity to write a book about the event.
However, I never thought this would happen..!
Rotary in front of Toyota City Station, the meeting place
豊田市駅に到着するとすでに観光バスが待機していました。続々と参加者の方々が現れ緊張する私。参加者は若い男女のカップルや女性グループでソロで参加するのは私だけだったのです😅
We set off for our first destination, the Yahagi Dam! The incident occurred as we entered the prefectural road along the Yahagi River.
Mr. in charge: "Here's a special guest!"
I (...gee, guest!?!)
So I was asked to be an attendant. I had no intention of doing so, so of course I had no preparation. What should I do? What should I do?
Incidentally, the participants this time did not seem to be so-called dam enthusiasts, but rather seemed to have participated because they were somewhat interested in the subject.
Arrival at Yahagi Dam
Despite our concerns, the schedule is being digested as planned. Then we arrived at Yahagi Dam, the first destination of the tour. We greeted the staff in front of the control center.
Brief explanation by management office staff
ここで動画も見た気がしますが、今後のアテンドのことで頭がいっぱいになり記憶にありません😓
Tour at Yahagi Dam (audit corridor)
Then we went through the audit corridor. It was the first time to see the inside of the dam, and everyone was very interested in it. Some of them were playing with the wall. (Only one person said he had been to the dam on business.)
A view of the tour at Yahagi Dam (from the catwalk)
I always wonder if I should call this part of the building a catwalk, but for the sake of convenience, I will go ahead and talk about it as a catwalk. When you pass through the audit corridor and step outside, you will all be amazed. You must have been captivated by the dam by now.
Lunch venue Hotel Okadaya
After the tour at Yahagi Dam, we went to Hotel Okadaya for lunch. Unfortunately, it was not dam curry. This place needs improvement. Also, the sign "Dam tour group" is a good sign.
Banners displayed at the lunch venue
The following banner was posted in the lunch hall.
After lunch, we stopped at Roadside Station Donguri no Sato Inabu to purchase souvenirs. The bus tour is a great way to spend money in the local community. It seems that everyone bought a variety of souvenirs.
Commentary at Kuroda Dam
Our next stop is the Kuroda Dam. Since Chuden will not be there, I will take care of the commentary here.
He also explained the main points of the Kuroda Dam tour, the fact that pumped storage power generation is carried out with the lake of the Yahagi Dam as the lower reservoir and the lake of the Kuroda Dam as the upper reservoir, what pumped storage power generation is all about, the Tominaga Regulating Pond as the middle reservoir, which is a rare two-stage pumped storage power generation in Japan, the white tower seen nearby being a surge tank, and its role, etc. The white tower you can see nearby is a surge tank and its role.
Since it was the season of autumn leaves, the trees were completely colored.
It had been a long time since I had visited the Kuroda Dam itself, but I was surprised to find that visitors were arriving one after the other, one after the other, in rapid succession. It was a moment when I was convinced that the base of the dam had expanded.
A tour at the Habu Dam
We then arrived at our final destination, Habu Dam. It has been a long time since we visited here as well.
Everyone was taking pictures of the tops and crossing over the edge of the building as they wished. The cameras were different from the usual tour, as they were not single-lens reflex cameras like the enthusiasts, but smartphones and digital cameras.
We then returned to Toyota City Station, our starting point, and disbanded.
I was unexpectedly asked to be an attendant for the tour, and I learned a lot from the people who attended the tour, which was completely different from those who are dam enthusiasts at heart.
I tried to provide easy-to-understand explanations, but since I had not prepared anything, there were many things I should have said or done differently afterwards. However, from the looks on everyone's faces, I think they were very satisfied.
The person in charge of the tour was enthusiastic about holding the tour again, and I am sure that the bus tour around the dam will be held again.
In addition to the existing dams, the Okumikawa area is expected to become more vibrant with the construction of the Shin Toyone Dam, Utsure Dam, and Oshima Dam, as well as Shitara Dam in the near future.
In this sense, we look forward to more bus tours in the future.
Comment