Lake Okutama
Lake Okutama-ko is an artificial lake formed by Ogouchi Dam, which blocks the Tama-gawa River. It is located in Chichibu Tama National Park, the national park nearest to the metropolitan Tokyo area. The lake offers a nice harmony of natural beauty and man-made structures. Ogouchi-jinja Shrine, located at the tip of the point that juts out into the lake, jointly enshrines the nine shrines that were submerged by the lake when the dam was built, as well as 11 deities. The Kajima-odori Dance and traditional Japanese performances of Shishimai, a lion dance, are offered at the shrine every fall. Since it was not fall, we did not see these dances.
