A DAM BURSTING WITH TOKUSATSU HISTORY! Revisiting Tokyo's Ogouchi Dam!

Welcome to Okutama! But you still have to ride the bus before getting to your destination. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Wednesday, July 12), I visited Lake Okutama (a.k.a. Lake Oku-Tama) and the Ogouchi Dam for the first time in almost 10 years. (Yikes! Has it been that long?!) Readers of this blog ought to know that the Ogouchi Dam was prominently featured in Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) and was also seen (in a less spectacular way) in Mothra (1961).

Given the tokusatsu history associated with this location, I've often thought about returning for a visit. But it takes just about two hours to reach Okutama Station from my home -- and that doesn't count the bus ride from the station to the actual lake! (I wasn't exactly timing it, but I'd wager the bus ride was somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes.) So you can see why I had some hesitation.

Despite the scorching heat, I decided to make a day of it and head to the lake. I actually had a lot more fun than I expected, and I spent more time exploring the lake and the dam than I did 10 years ago. With all that said, let's check out the highlights. Enjoy!

OKU-TAMA LAKE AND THE OGOUCHI DAM: A Location Embedded with Kaiju History!

Most kaiju fans have never heard of Oku-Tama Lake or the Ogouchi Dam. However, this location is well checking out for monster fans of any stripe.

Remember the scene in Mothra (1961) in which the titular kaiju breaks through the dam? How about the scene in Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) in which Megalon does the same? Well, they're the same location, and it actually exists in Japan!

Of course, after breaking the dam apart in the movie, Megalon smashes a bridge. And there it is!

This is the Ogouchi Dam in Lake Oku-Tama, which is about a two-hour train ride from Shinjuku Station. It takes a long time to get there, but on top of being an iconic location in kaiju movies, it's a beautiful area. The pictures truly speak for themselves.

For more information, follow this link. If seeking out movie locations is your thing, I would recommend adding this one to the list. It may take a while to get there, but it's a site few kaiju fans have visited. Let's try to change that!

Careful! Be sure not to drop your camera while taking shots! I have a feeling you'd never see it again.