Sameura Dam

This 106 meter tall impressive piece of modern engineering was built in 1975 on the Yoshino River and is the largest dam in Shikoku. At the top of the dam, over 2000 Somei-Yoshino cherry blossom trees were planted around the man-made Lake Sameura. The trees usually bloom from late March to early April and the lakeshore becomes adorned with soft pink hues.
Information sessions with short tours inside the dam are available with prior registration — only in Japanese (tours are currently suspended due to COVID-19). Light-up events also take place three times a year. The first is during cherry blossoms season where both the trees and the dam is illuminated in multiple colors transforming the landscape into a living rainbow. The second is during the Obon holidays in mid-August and the final light us is during Christmas and New Years to celebrate the festive seasons.
The lakeside town is also wroth the wonder — take a break at Sameura Lakeside Hotel with spectacular views of the lake and dam themed menu items like damu-kare (dam curry), where the rice is built into the shape of dam on the plate, separating the curry sauce from the sides of the dish.