I visited after seeing it in mono.
Looking at it from the car park next to the dam, I realised it was a rockfill dam.
To be honest, when I went to the top of the dam and looked down, I felt a bit underwhelmed.
The gentle slope made it seem like it would be easy to climb up from below, but it lacked the terrifying impact of the huge drop that comes with a typical gravity concrete dam.
After that, I crossed over the dam and at the other end checked the discharge channel in case of overflow.
Of course, with a stone dam, there is a risk of it bursting if water overflows the top of the embankment.
After being impressed by all the ingenuity that had gone into it, I moved to Uzumaku Hiroba below the dam.
I headed towards the tunnel with a door, feeling a little unsure if it was okay to go through, but was stunned to see the overflow channel that looked like a giant roller coaster.
What a complete reversal of my impression of it being tame.
Even Lupin the Third would not survive if he ran down this slope.
Is it a parabola that curves from the gentle slope to the basin? The sight of it piercing the river is breathtaking.
The stillness of the beautiful, white, gentle slope of the dam body.
The movement of the overflow channel, which forms an overwhelmingly powerful curve!
Minamiaiki Dam wouldn't be complete without these two.
If you think you've only ever visited Minamiaiki Dam to see it from the top, you're missing out on something.
A return visit is a must.
Visited in April 2025. This is the highest dam in Japan. We climbed along the Minamiaiki River and then took the final winding path to the finish line. There was a marble monument in the plaza. It's a path I'd avoid at night.
The clear air, the majestic dam lake, the remaining snow on the Yatsugatake mountain range in the distance, and the whitish rock dam were all beautiful. It felt like we had nature all to ourselves. Contrails appeared and disappeared in the sky.
If you have the time, it's also a good idea to walk around the dam lake. There's nothing there except for toilets, so be prepared.
We received a dam card at Minamiaiki Onsen Takiminoyu along the way. (Photo required)
This rockfill dam was made using limestone, and on sunny days the white limestone looks very beautiful. Also, if you visit during the autumn foliage season, the contrast between the white limestone and the autumn leaves is very beautiful. However, please be careful as there are falling rocks on the road leading up to here. (The photo was taken in November 2021.)
This dam is located at the very back of Minamiaiki Village. The scenery is quite impressive. You can also see the Yatsugatake Mountains beautifully. However, there are a lot of falling rocks along the way, so be careful not to step on them.
