Chichibu · UrayamaNo.085★Open in map →
Urayama Dam & Chichibu Sakura Lake
A 156-metre gravity concrete dam in the mountains of Chichibu, Saitama, holding back a green reservoir called Chichibu Sakura Lake. The inside of the dam is open to visitors for free.
Urayama Dam rises 156 metres across the Urayama River, making it the second-tallest gravity concrete dam in Japan after Okutadami Dam. Behind it lies Chichibu Sakura Lake, a still green reservoir set among forested valleys west of Chichibu city. What sets this dam apart is that the inside of the dam body is open to the public: an elevator descends through the concrete wall, and a small museum called Urarapia explains how the dam controls floods and stores water. Entry is free, managed by the Japan Water Agency.
Why it stays quiet
This is a working dam, not a sightseeing spot, at the end of a dead-end valley off the Chichibu pilgrimage routes. There is little information about it in English, and only a short uphill walk or an infrequent local bus reaches it, so it stays quiet even on days when Chichibu is busy.
Background & history
Built on the Urayama River, part of the Arakawa river system, construction began in 1989 and the concrete wall was completed in 1998; formal operation started in April 1999. The dam was built for flood control and water supply, and is run by the Japan Water Agency. At 156 metres it stands just below the 157-metre Okutadami Dam, ranking second among Japan's gravity concrete dams.
What to look for — in walking order
- 156-metre dam wall
- one of the tallest gravity concrete dams in Japan; 372 metres long across the top
- Elevator inside the dam
- descends through the concrete wall, open to visitors free of charge
- Urarapia museum
- small on-site centre explaining in displays how the dam controls floods and stores water
- Chichibu Sakura Lake
- the reservoir held back by the dam, used for fishing and canoeing
How to enjoy it
The dam interior and museum are open free from 9:00 to 17:00, closed only over the New Year period (29 December to 3 January). The elevator runs daily except on its monthly maintenance day, usually the third Tuesday. Pair a look inside with a walk up the Urayama valley toward the Oku-Chichibu mountains.
How to actually get there
- Ikebukuro Station → Seibu-Chichibu Station (Seibu Ikebukuro Line, Laview limited express ~80 min).
- Seibu-Chichibu Station → Ohanabatake Station (walk ~5 min to the neighbouring station).
- Ohanabatake Station → Urayamaguchi Station (Chichibu Railway toward Mitsumineguchi, 2 stops, ~8 min).
- Urayamaguchi Station → the dam plaza (walk ~20 min uphill on a paved lane, then the elevator up).
- Seibu train + Chichibu Railway + walk, ~2.5-3 hr from Tokyo
- Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo →(Seibu Ikebukuro Line; the Laview limited express is fastest, ~80 min)→ Seibu-Chichibu Station →(walk ~5 min to the neighbouring Ohanabatake Station)→ Ohanabatake Station →(Chichibu Railway toward Mitsumineguchi, 2 stops via Kagemori, ~8 min)→ Urayamaguchi Station →(walk ~20 min uphill on a paved lane)→ the plaza below the dam. Chichibu Railway runs only about one or two trains an hour in the daytime — check the day's timetable before you leave.
- Local trains end in the evening — check return times when you arrive
- Trains from Urayamaguchi back toward Chichibu run only about one or two an hour and stop in the evening. Check the return times posted at the station when you arrive, so you do not miss the last useful train back to Seibu-Chichibu.
Before you go
- Cash
- Buy your Chichibu Railway and Laview tickets at Seibu-Chichibu Station; IC cards such as Suica and PASMO work on the trains, but carry some cash as a backup.
- Closing days
- The dam and museum are open 9am to 5pm and closed over the New Year period; the inside elevator also stops on its monthly maintenance day (usually the third Tuesday). There is nothing open at night.
- Another way
- A bus is an alternative to the train-and-walk: the Chichibu City Bus bound for Urayama Dainichido leaves from Seibu-Chichibu Station; get off at the Urayama Dam stop. It runs only a few times a day, so check the timetable first.
- After you get off
- From Urayamaguchi Station it is about a 20-minute walk uphill on a paved lane to the plaza below the dam, where the elevator takes you up to the top.