Lake Tokura

Reservoir outside Obanazawa, draws visitors for camping, canoeing, sailing, and dining beside calm water surrounded by forested hills. Sun Village campground sits on the shore, and Hanagasa no Yu offers lakeside bathing. Asahi Glass Studio runs glassmaking introductions, and Restaurant Tokurako serves Obanazawa's premium wagyu beef with a view of the water. The reservoir was completed in 1921 after two years of construction by roughly 70,000 workers from neighboring communities. The rhythmic movements of the embankment workers are said to have inspired the Hanagasa Odori, the signature dance of Yamagata Prefecture, still performed at festivals today.