Japan Has The Most Beautiful Manhole Covers In The World
For the past few years, Japanese photographer S. Morita has traveled throughout Japan photographing an unexpected subject: manhole covers.
The catch is that manhole covers in Japan tend to be absolutely beautiful. Japanese municipalities compete to adorn their manhole covers with beautiful and colorful patterns, each more wonderful than the last. They range from natural and botanical themes to elaborate cityscapes or municipal heraldry.
The practice is supposed to date back to 1985, when an official in the construction ministry allowed Japanese municipalities to adorn their manhole covers to draw attention to the benefits of costly sewage projects. Whatever the reason was, however, it has left Japan’s streets covered in little unexpected artistic surprises for us to enjoy.
Source: Flickr (via: thisiscolossal)
Got wisdom to pour?
Beautifu! Like most things Japanese. And unlike the immoral USA, the Japanese would think thrice before stealing anything for scrap metal. They have a sense of community the Americans lost two generations after they landed on American soil. It’s a cultural thing, that’s all.
we can’t have nice things like this in america because people would STEAL THEM. They even make some light bulbs in subways with the screws reversed just to prevent this.