The giant dam built from the scenic spot of the Alps
Surrounded by the mountains of the Northern Alps, Kurobe Dam provides 1 billion kWh worth of electricity annually from the enormous amounts of water. At the time of the commencement of its construction in 1956, the project cost a whopping 51.3 billion yen and about 10 million workers were utilized for the 7-year project. The dam has a height of 186m which is the tallest in Japan, and total reservoir capacity is an estimated 200 million cubic meters, which is equivalent to 1000 large oil tankers. Its location within Chubu Sangaku National Park which boasts one of Japan’s most beautiful scenes has made the dam a famous tourist site visited by many people as one of the highlights along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, and especially between June 26th and October 15th, great amounts of water are discharged from the dam on a daily basis with the rising mist and the tremendous force of water falling down being something that cannot be missed. Mother Nature and this man-made structure create a spectacular landscape.
The nature trails surrounding the dam are also fun
There are superb observation points to enjoy the grandly arching dam and the scene of gushing water. From the Dam Observation Point at the top of a 220-step stairway, you can get a bird’s-eye view of the dam from a high point. On the other hand, from the New Observation Point, you can view the dam and the spectacular gushing water in front of your eyes from a distance. After touring the dam, you will also want to enjoy the surrounding nature. At the man-made Kurobe Lake which was created from the dam, the Kurobe excursion ship, Garube, is in operation where you can enjoy Japan’s highest excursion cruise. Also, along the shores of the lake, there are places of interest such as a monument to those workers who lost their lives in the construction of the dam, the Kanpa Valley Bridge, a primeval beech forest and the giant trees of Kurobe that are 800 to 1000 years old which can all be accessed through a natural trail that can be walked in about 1 hour, so that you can fully enjoy the lush nature of Kurobe Dam that shows its beauty through all four seasons.