The Tokomizu Town Office stands on the shore of the Ring Lake in Kamimachi, beside the Great Sluice that faces the entrance to Miuchi. It has a rooftop water garden that opens off the lake, and counters and offices on floors below the level of the lake. Whether you come by boat or on foot along the Kamimachi streets, you enter through water and trees.
- Where the town office is
- The rooftop water garden, reached by boat
- An entrance hall that looks into the lake
- Ground-floor counters and waiting area
- The eight divisions
- A town office that works by water (document boats and radios)
- The entrance from the Kamimachi streets
- Video and Photographs
- Visiting the town office
Where the Town Office Is
The Ring Lake has eight Great Sluices, which divide its water among the canals of the whole town. The town office stands beside the one that faces the entrance to Miuchi.
The lakeshore here drops in steps, so the town office has its roof at the level of the lake and its ground floor, where the counters are, below the surface of the lake. Seen from the lake, a small round inlet juts out from the shore, covered by trees.
The Rooftop Water Garden, Reached by Boat
A short channel from the Ring Lake leads into a round water garden and the rooftop boat landing. The garden is joined to the lake at the same water level, so boats glide straight in along a channel with no steps or drops.
Wooden jetties run around the water garden, under a canopy of trees and vines. The trees are rooted in planting beds around the edge, and their branches and vines grow along a timber frame to form the roof. After stepping ashore, take the stairs inside down to the ground-floor counters or to the divisions.
The rooftop landing is open to townspeople too. Tsujibune (the town’s taxi boats) call here, and so do the canal food-boats, which double as shared ferries. Many staff also come to work by boat this way.
If you are coming on foot, please use the entrance from the Kamimachi streets.
An Entrance Hall That Looks into the Lake
The ground-floor entrance hall is an atrium that looks into the water of the lake. Through a great curved wall of glass you can see goldfish swimming, rocks on the bottom, and the hulls of boats floating on the rooftop water.
In the centre of the glass wall a waterfall pours down into a stone basin, from which a channel runs on through the building. A wooden bridge crosses the channel so you can walk over without getting wet.
Ground-Floor Counters and Waiting Area
The ground floor has counters for all kinds of procedures, benches for waiting and desks for filling in forms. We take enquiries about housing, duty rotas, shares, canals and boats, and pass you on to the division in charge.
Behind the counters is the staff office, where staff work within sight of the lake water and the waterfall.
The Eight Divisions
The town office works through eight divisions and two branch offices, in Miuchi and Nenomachi. The divisions work on the middle floor above the counters. Seen from the lake side this floor is half below ground; the meeting rooms are on the same floor, on the lake side.
| Division | Main responsibilities |
|---|---|
| General Affairs Division | The calendar, the Council, official records, old registers and plans |
| Community Life Division | Residents’ registers, housing, field duty, shares |
| Canals Division | Water levels, sluices, fairways, repairs to bridges, banks and jetties |
| Water Warden Division | Patrolling the goldfish and recording water quality |
| Fish-Power Division | Power-fish breeding lines, giving out fry, fish pens |
| Damp Current Division | Hydropower, relay posts, catch-beads, quiet rooms |
| Boat Mail and Ferry Division | Circuit boats, boat mail, mooring |
| Tourism Division | The Hundred Views, visitor information, events |
The branch offices are the Miuchi Branch Office (Migiwa) and the Nenomachi Branch Office (shore of the Upper Lake). For the sections and work of each division, see The Town Office and Its Work.
A Town Office That Works by Water
Document Boats
Documents travelling between divisions are carried by small boats on the narrow channels inside the building. Each boat has a hold set above the waterline to keep papers dry, with a brass-framed glass lid. Documents are handed over at each division’s boat stop, so the canals are part of the office’s daily work.
The document boats are small boats, separate from the boats staff ride to work.
Pea-Goldfish Radios
The divisions keep in touch using radios found only in Tokomizu. Each set has a small tank of pea goldfish that powers it. Made of wood, brass and glass, the radios sit on every division’s desks among the ledgers and papers.
The Entrance from the Kamimachi Streets
From the Kamimachi streets, pass through a tunnel of fresh green trees and go down the great stone stairway to the ground floor. Clear channels run down both sides of the stairway, and goldfish swim in their quiet pools.
At the foot of the stairs is an entrance of wood and glass, and beyond it you can see the central waterfall and the great tank. This entrance is one of the places where you can see the town at its most watery.
Video and Photographs
A Video Tour of the Building
Photographs
Visiting the Town Office
| Address | 1 Kamimachi, Tokomizu Town (on the shore of the Ring Lake, beside the Great Sluice facing the entrance to Miuchi) |
|---|---|
| Phone | Kamimachi exchange, No. 808 (main line) |
| Office hours | Weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. |
| Closed | Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and the New Year period |