Miboro Dam
The Miboro Dam towers over the southern edge of the present-day municipality of Shirakawa. Together with the hydroelectric power plant at its base, the dam produces electricity for the industrial city of Nagoya and the surrounding Chubu region. Situated on the Sho River, the rock-fill dam is 131 meters high and 56 meters thick, which made it the largest structure of its kind in Asia at the time of its completion in 1960. The presence of several fault lines deep underneath the dam site meant that the rock-fill structure was preferable to a concrete alternative. The building of the dam created Lake Miboro, flooding three settlements whose residents had to relocate. Two cherry trees from a temple submerged by the water were moved to the western side of the lake, to what is now Shokawazakura Park, where they serve as a reminder of the area’s past. Remnants of the former villages can be spotted from National Route 156 above the dam in spring, when the water level is at its lowest. Visitors can also walk on top of the dam, from where the views both downstream in the direction of Shirakawa-go and toward the lake are especially scenic in autumn. Dam enthusiasts may be interested in the Damside Park museum, which explains how the Miboro Dam was built and how it is currently used.