4/5 Daisei Iketani (. 2 years ago on Google
Sayama
Lake,
originally
called
Yamaguchi
Lake,
is
a
man-made
reservoir
that
was
built
using
an
earthen
dam,
which
was
completed
in
1929.
Due
to
a
lack
of
heavy
earth-moving
equipment
in
Japan
at
that
time,
the
dam
was
constructed
mostly
by
farmers
who
used
picks
and
shovels.
The
majority
of
the
workers
were
farmers
hired
to
do
the
work
after
the
growing
season
had
come
to
a
close.
A
total
of
1,720
villagers
were
forced
to
leave
their
homes
to
make
way
for
the
dam
as
demand
for
fresh
water
increased
with
a
population
explosion
in
Tokyo.
During
WWII,
the
embankment
of
the
dam
was
reinforced
with
ballistic-resistant
concrete
and
the
towers
were
reinforced
with
a
bullet-proof
exterior
as
measures
against
the
Tokyo
air
raids.
The
design
of
the
intake
towers
was
heavily
influenced
by
the
trends
of
western
architecture
that
were
poplar
in
Japan
in
the
early
20th
century,
as
can
be
seen
by
the
use
of
red
bricks
on
the
exterior,
copper
roofing,
and
artistic
design
elements
above
the
doorway
to
the
tower's
interior.
Although
the
bridge
is
currently
painted
white,
early
color
photos
from
many
decades
ago
show
a
bridge
painted
in
a
copper-red
coat
of
paint,
which
makes
it
look
like
a
miniature
version
of
the
Golden
Gate
Bridge
in
San
Francisco.
On
the
occasion
that
the
reservoir
is
partially
drained
for
maintenance
work
on
the
water
intake
towers,
remnants
of
the
villages
that
were
submerged
can
still
be
seen.
Since
the
reservoir
is
used
to
provide
fresh
water
to
the
residents
of
Tokyo,
the
lake
itself
is
off
limits
to
any
human
activity
in
the
water:
no
swimming,
no
boating,
no
fishing,
etc.
The
hills
surrounding
the
lake
are
also
off
limits.
Except
for
the
promenade
running
across
the
top
of
the
dam,
high
fencing
with
several
bands
of
barbwire
encircle
the
rest
of
the
hills
that
feed
water
into
the
lake.
The
lack
of
human
access
has
created
a
small
oasis
of
natural
habitat
where
various
species
of
insects,
birds,
mammals
and
flora
can
flourish.
★★Check
out
the
Pix4Japan
YouTube
channel
for
a
short
video
highlighting
the
vibe
of
this
location.★★
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