Up the hill

 I finally found a steep path that brought me to the top of the hill. The first thing I found was this stone shrine.

 At the other end of the flat area was an observatory and a small support building. Three people were using a telescope to look at something in the sky. It was daylight so they could not have been seeing much. They greeted me but seemed very busy so I just responded and continued on my way.

From the top of the hill, I found a path that led down to the top of the dam. As with most of the larger dams in Japan, this one had a sign that showed the dimension and construction details.