At the end of the prefectural road lies the Zao Dam filled with water at Hanokizawa. The scenery of the four seasons woven on the lakeside will heal your heart.

Yamagata Prefecture started its construction in 1966 and completed it in 1970 for flood control, irrigation, and securing of tap water (30,000 tons).

With the completion of the dam, the downstream riverbed changed completely, and the Namerikawa residential area and the interchange of the Yamagata Expressway appeared, bringing about major changes to the ecosystem.