Liminal Places Under Water: 7 Real Places, From Villages Beneath Dams to a Bridge That Comes and Goes

Published: 2026-10-03

Places where people once lived and worked now lie under water, and when the level drops, part of them appears again. Submerged places have a stillness unlike other liminal spaces, as if time itself had been held back. Here are seven of them, with when you can see them and how to visit.

The Taushubetsu River Bridge on Lake Nukabira, its arches reflected in the water — The Taushubetsu River Bridge in June 2022, its arches mirrored as the water rises. Photo: MaedaAkihiko (CC BY-SA 4.0), Source: Wikimedia Commons

Why Submerged Places Stay With Us

Most submerged places were flooded on purpose to build dams, after their residents moved away. Roads and the remains of houses stay as they were under the water, and only part of them can be seen when the level falls. Because visibility depends on weather and season, the same place shifts between being there and not being there.

For former residents, though, these are their hometowns. Some have mixed feelings about crowds gathering whenever a drought exposes the old village office or settlements. Please keep that in mind when you visit the places in this article.

Villages Beneath Dams: Tokuyama and the Okawa Village Office

Beneath the lake of Tokuyama Dam in Ibigawa, Gifu, lies the former village of Tokuyama. About 1,500 people (466 households) lived in eight mountain settlements, but every household moved away for the dam, and the village was dissolved in 1987. Completed in 2008, Tokuyama Dam is said to be the largest in Japan by total storage, at 660 million cubic meters. Tokuyama Kaikan upstream has exhibits on village life.

In Okawa, Kochi, the completion of Sameura Dam submerged the village's center and main settlements. The village, which had opposed the dam, is said to have built a reinforced-concrete village office in the center that was due to be flooded, and that building now lies at the bottom of the lake too. It is normally hidden, but appears when drought drops the reservoir far enough; in the summer 2026 drought, it emerged down to its first-floor entrance for the first time in over a decade. The lakebed is off-limits, so view it from the roads along the lake.

A Bridge That Comes and Goes: Taushubetsu River Bridge

The Taushubetsu River Bridge on Lake Nukabira in Kamishihoro, Hokkaido, is a concrete arch bridge of the former JNR Shihoro Line, completed in 1937. Its 11 arches span 130 meters, and it went out of use in 1955 when the line was rerouted for Nukabira Dam. With the rise and fall of the reservoir, it appears above the water in winter and spring and goes under in summer and autumn. The timing changes from year to year, and in some years it never fully submerges.

It is crumbling a little more each year; part of a side wall fell in April 2026. To see it up close, borrow the key to the forest-road gate (by reservation) or join a guided tour. Bears are sometimes seen on the forest road, and visitors are asked not to enter on foot or by bicycle. It can also be seen in the distance from an observation point on the national highway. Please do not climb onto the bridge.

A Building in a Lake, and a Forest Flooded Only in Spring

On the Kitayama River in Shimokitayama, Nara, the remains of an early Showa-era hydroelectric power station stand with their lower half submerged in the lake of Nanairo Dam. Built in 1931, the station was left standing in the water when Nanairo Dam downstream turned the river into a lake. Entering the building has been prohibited since 2018.

At Lake Shirakawa in Iide, Yamagata, a grove of white willows that normally stands on dry land is flooded partway up the trunks from late March to mid-May, when snowmelt fills the reservoir. On still mornings the trees are mirrored on the water and the line between water and sky disappears. Canoe tours go out among the trees.

A Pension Village Left Standing in Water

In Kashino, Ushimado, Setouchi, Okayama, are the remains of a leisure facility said to have been built around 1980 on former salt fields. Pensions with triangular roofs once stood in rows, but after the business closed, drainage of the land below sea level stopped, and the buildings and cars were left standing in water. With only the triangular roofs above the surface, it looks as if the whole village had sunk.

It is private land and people live nearby. Do not enter the site, and since there is no parking, view it only from the public road without disturbing the neighborhood.

A Town That Sank and Rose Again: Villa Epecuén, Argentina

Villa Epecuén, on the shore of a salt lake in Argentina, was a spa and resort town founded in the 1920s. At its peak about 1,500 people lived there, and 25,000 visitors came each summer. In 1985 a dike broke, the lake overflowed, every resident was evacuated, and the town sank under some 7 to 10 meters of salt water.

When the water began to recede in the late 2000s, it revealed building frames turned white with salt and dead trees still standing. Pablo Novak, who lived alone among the ruins, died in 2024 at 93, and guided walks through the ruins are now offered from the nearby town.

The ruins of Epecuén, with crumbled brick buildings and dead trees — The ruins of Villa Epecuén (2022): building remains and dead trees left after the water receded. Photo: Gafotos (CC BY-SA 4.0), Source: Wikimedia Commons

Practical Notes for Visiting

Much of the lakebed and shoreline of dam lakes is off-limits. Even when the water is low, do not go down onto the lakebed; it is dangerous. Where viewing is regulated, as at Taushubetsu, follow the rules. At Lake Shirakawa, park at the lakeside park and not on the road.

Submerged villages and offices are the hometowns of former residents. Visit them less as sights and more as places to imagine the lives that were there.

If You Shoot It, Put It on the Map

Scenes that appear only when the water is low are worth recording. For places in other regions, see the regional articles and "Famous Liminal Spaces Around the World."

LIMap is a map for keeping places like these, with photos and locations. If you find one, please add it.

FAQ

When can I see the Taushubetsu River Bridge?

It depends on the reservoir level: it appears in winter and spring and goes under in summer and autumn. The timing varies by year, and in some years it never fully submerges. To see it up close, use the reservable forest-road gate key or a guided tour.

When is the submerged forest at Lake Shirakawa best?

From late March to mid-May, when snowmelt fills the reservoir. On still mornings the trees are mirrored on the water.

Can I always see the old Okawa village office?

No. It is normally under the lake of Sameura Dam and appears only when drought lowers the reservoir a lot. The lakebed is off-limits.

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