［Kawatabi Movie・Photo Report］
New Katsurazawa & Mikasa Ponbetsu Dam Inspection Tour

I had long wanted to see the construction site of the Mikasa Ponbetsu Dam, so I joined a dam inspection tour organized by the Mikasa Geopark.

This tour was especially rewarding, as it included three geo-tour–exclusive locations that are normally off-limits to the public. Dam tours are very popular, and on this day participants were ivided between two buses, highlighting the strong interest in this unique experience.

New Katsurazawa & Mikasa Ponbetsu Dam Inspection Tour　Kawatabi Hokkaido YouTube
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCs5b1HfbFM

１． Mikasa City Museum  
Our tour began at the Mikasa City Museum, where the museum director gave us an overview of the region’s geology. No matter how many times I visit, I am always overwhelmed by the impressive display of ammonite fossils. Alternatively, click on each photo to enlarge it for easier viewing.

２．Gensekiyama (Quarry Site)　
This site is where stone was quarried to produce concrete used in dam construction. The mountain was blasted and further crushed using breakers—a location normally closed to the public.

As we walked from one end of the exposed rock layers to the other, the museum director provided detailed explanations of the geological features. An aerial photograph from the Mikasa Geopark website makes the site look almost like an ancient ruin.

３．New Katsurazawa Dam – Dam Body　
After getting off the bus and listening to explanations on the left bank, we walked across the top of the dam toward the dam management office on the opposite side.

４．Inside the Inspection Gallery　
We then entered the inspection gallery, a maintenance corridor inside the dam that is normally inaccessible to the public.
The New Katsurazawa Dam was constructed by adding new concrete downstream of the original Katsurazawa Dam, effectively thickening and raising the dam structure.

Inside the gallery, we could clearly see the boundary between the original dam completed 60 years ago and the newly added concrete. One step across the line—60 years of history.

５．Lunch　
For lunch, we stopped at “Geo-Iku” in the Ikushunbetsu area and enjoyed a “Geo Bento.” When I opened the lid, I was greeted by three ammonite-shaped items—even the tentacles looked remarkably realistic.

６．Mikasa Ponbetsu Dam (Under Construction)　
This was the place I most wanted to see on the tour. Like several other stops, it is normally closed to the public. The main dam structure was about to begin rising, making it exciting to imagine how different the site will look on my next visit.
At the end of the tour, we also received a small souvenir, which made a nice finishing touch to the experience.

One of the participants had grown up in the Ikushunbetsu area of Mikasa City, which was the focus of this tour. They shared personal memories along the way, saying, “I was in elementary school when the Katsurazawa Dam was completed, and our whole class came to see it.”
At the site of the Mikasa Ponbetsu Dam, they also recalled, “There used to be many coal miners’ houses further up the river.”
Hearing these stories at each stop prompted many “Oh, really?” moments among the group, as we all reflected on the area’s past and imagined what life was like back then.