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The Minakami area is located around the headwaters of the Tone River, one of the longest river in Japan. The area has five dams along the river, and the shapes of those dams inspired the Minakami Dam Curry. In this rice-and-curry dish, the rice is shaped into a “dam” to impound the lake of curry, so you can enjoy the image and flavor.

What is Minakami Dam Curry?

All Minakami Dam Curry dishes use a unified mold-and-plate set. Rice is shaped into a dam wall using a special mold, and the plate for the Dam Curry is oval in shape to create an attractive dam and dam lake arrangement. There are three types of curry dams that are different in shape: arch dams, gravity dams, and rock-fill dams. They faithfully reproduce the structures of the dams in the Minakami area.

Regular size in the shape of an arch dam

The Arch Dam Curry is known for its beautiful shape. This is the regular-size serving of the Dam Curry, making it the most popular among the three types of Minakami Dam Curry. This one was inspired by Yagisawa Dam, located furthest upstream on the river. Arch dams are cleverly designed in a way that uses less concrete than other types.
Yagisawa Dam, the inspiration for the regular-size curry, is a 131-meter high arch dam made of concrete. It is the largest dam in the Tone River system and helps reduce flood damage to the lower reaches by impounding water during typhoons and heavy rains.

Bigger size in the shape of a gravity dam

The gravity dam is most orthodox in shape. Three of the five dams in the Minakami area fall into this type. The Gravity Dam Curry has extra rice, making it a mid-sized, filling dish.
Fujiwara Dam is a gravity dam. It is the oldest of the upstream dams in the Tone River system and located in a prominent place along the prefectural highway. It discharges water around May when snow melts.

Biggest size in the shape of a rock-fill dam

The Rock-Fill Dam Curry is the biggest one. It is a very substantial rice and curry dish with a large amount of rice. Naramata Dam, the inspiration for this dish, is a stout, pyramid-like dam with earth and rocks piled up, as you can see from the rice.
Naramata Dam is a rock-fill dam made of piled-up earth and rocks. It carries a massive presence with its astounding height of 158 meters. It is a popular dam to visit in the Minakami area.

Fun ways to eat

Minakami Dam Curry is also fun to eat. There are creative ways to enjoy it, such as bursting or discharging the curry by removing the rice bit by bit. Many restaurants in the town serves Minakami Dam Curry with their own unique flavors.
●Access to Minakami area:
[By train] Min. 66 minutes from Tokyo station to Jomo-Kogen station on the Joetsu Shinkansen
[By car] About 90 minutes from Nerima IC to Tsukiyono IC or about 100 minutes to Minakami IC on Kanetsu Expressway
text : Chiho Kuriyama

Facility Information

Minakami Tourism Association
Address
1744-1 Tsukiyono, Minakami-machi, Tone-gun, Gunma 379-1313
URL
http://enjoy-minakami.com/en/
Notes
0 minutes walk from Jomo-Kogen station, Joetsu Shinkansen

Minakami Kogen Ski Resort
Address
6152-1 Fujiwara, Minakami-machi, Tone-gun, Gunma 379-1721
URL
https://snow.gurunavi.com/guide/htm/r0126ens.htm
Notes
21 km from Minakami IC, Kanetsu Expressway

Minakami Kogen Fujiwara Ski Resort
Address
4957-1 Fujiwara, Minakami-machi, Tone-gun, Gunma 379-1721
URL
https://snow.gurunavi.com/guide/htm/r0335ens.htm
Notes
19.5 km from Minakami IC, Kanetsu Expressway

Minakami Hodaigi Ski Resort
Address
3839-1 Fujiwara, Minakami-machi, Tone-gun, Gunma, 379-1721
Notes
17 km from Minakami IC, Kanetsu Expressway

Mizukikoukan
Address
1681-1 Yubara, Minakami-machi, Tone-gun, Gunma 379-1615

Takaragawa Onsen Takaragawa Sanso
Address
1899 Fujiwara, Minakami-machi, Tone-gun, Gunma 379-1721

Restaurant Suwakyo
Address
20-5 Kawakami, Minakami-machi, Tone-gun, Gunma 379-1615

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