Okutadami Electric Power Museum

Built in 1973, the Okutadami Electric Power Museum is a promotional facility for the Okutadami Dam (Electric Power Development Co., Ltd.), whose source is Oze. Located on a hill overlooking the dam, the museum's main target audience are tourists who come to explore Lake Okutadami and Oze, and groups of elementary school children. To mark its 50th anniversary in 2023, the museum has been renovated and reopened as an electric power museum that makes full use of digital technology.

The exhibits include a section where you can learn about the four seasons in Okutadami and the history of the dam and power plant construction, as well as a section where you can experience the past and present through digitally remastered footage of the construction period and powerful drone displays on a large screen, making it easy to learn about the mechanisms of Okutadami Dam and hydroelectric power generation, and energy.

You can also enjoy the Uonuma City Interactive Corner, displays of materials used in the Japan Academy Award-winning film "Whiteout," and the trick art corner of Otori Dam, which is known as the "phantom dam" because it is off-limits, where you can take immersive photographs.

Considering that 50 years have passed since the facility opened, the issues facing the facility were "architecture and equipment refreshment work," "renewal of displays," and "updating equipment to ensure maintainability" in anticipation of the next 10 years. In addition, the facility was required to "PR the latest management philosophy" of the J-POWER (Electric Power Development Co., Ltd.) group and to respond to information on "environmental issues and decarbonization," as well as to research primary materials to materialize displays and consider how to obtain them.

While taking the lead in sharing customer needs, we quickly solidified the framework of the project based on the collection of specific information. In addition, through regular meetings with local offices, we systematically obtained primary sources such as photographic materials and texts, and realized displays that made the most of limited information sources.

displays has been revamped into a video displays that can convey a sense of the scale and realism of the dam, and can also ensure maintainability.
On the first floor, six "large panels" are installed. It tells a story about everything from water to power generation, which is a blessing of nature unique to Oze, and introduces the water sources and seasons nurtured by nature in Okudami, as well as the history of the construction of dams and power plants. On the large screen (2 m × 4 m) on the second floor, you can choose from a selection of powerful images shot with the latest drones, including a digitally remastered version of dam construction film shot in the 1960s.

In addition, in order to promote the renewal of all displays at the same time as the coordination of the application for permission under the "Natural Parks Act" and to avoid the winter closure due to heavy snowfall and the tourist season, we will quickly establish a cooperative system with the construction company, work closely with local construction and equipment companies, and schedule a wide range of approvals and procedures. Even in a very short construction process, we took care to ensure that customers could fully consider the renovation for the first time in 50 years and welcome the opening with peace of mind.