Lake Okutama

Lake Okutama-koTokyo, KantoLake 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. You can enjoy cherry blossoms in spring, fresh greenery in summer, colorful leaves in fall, and the frosty snowscape in winter, all from a most thrilling vantage point atop a floating bridge made of empty oil drums.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. The former dance is designated as a national important intangible folk cultural property, while the latter has been designation an important intangible folk cultural property by the government of Tokyo.