Sakaigawa Dam, Gravity dam in Nanto and Shirakawa, Japan.
Sakaigawa Dam is a gravity dam built in the mountains on the border between Nanto and Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture, standing 115 m tall. It holds back the river to form a reservoir used for hydroelectric power generation and water supply in the surrounding area.
Work on the dam started in 1973 and the facility began operating in 1993 after roughly two decades of construction. The project was part of a wider effort to bring reliable energy and water infrastructure to remote mountain areas in Japan.
The dam sits in a region known for its traditional Gassho-zukuri farmhouses and remote mountain villages. Visitors can notice the contrast between the old rural way of life and this large concrete structure built into the landscape.
The dam is in a mountain area and is best visited during daylight, as the roads leading there are narrow and winding. Winter brings heavy snow to this part of Gifu Prefecture, so some access routes may be closed or difficult during colder months.
Although the dam is a large concrete structure, it sits within the watershed of the Shogawa river system, which feeds some of Japan's most visited historic villages further downstream. The water management provided by this and nearby dams has helped protect those villages from seasonal flooding.
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