The Japanese Manhole Designs

They say sky has no limit, Japan says, nor do your gutters. Confused?

Every creative person likes to think out of the box, it seems like Japan is one of them. Japan has done something which we cannot even imagine. Let’s take a tour through the Japanese way of depicting stories using their sewage system.

These manhole covers are one of the coolest things a person discovers in Japan. They are cool, customized, trendy and artistic. Usually, manholes are shabbily placed in mid of roads but Japanese have used their creative instincts to decorate them and make them look incredibly attractive. It is the beauty of a designer to turn an object which is so ordinary into something fascinating. The designs made on them, range from images of cultural history, Japanese art, flora, fauna, landmarks and local festivals, to fanciful images created by school kids.

Modern water and sewage systems did not find any popularity when they were initially introduced in Japan, the process of installation and upkeep of underground sewage systems was way too much. However, the government devised a plan to impress and influence people by letting them create their customized designs for manholes, many variations were introduced and the taxpayers were wooed too. Though these designs were initially costly but the way they were created and beautified made the whole idea a huge success.

Manhole adorn the roads of Japan. Initially, these were created to spread awareness about the country’s new sewage system project after World War 2. The layout of these covers is made out by voting. You can move in Japan and collect manhole trading cards for free from the place of its location.

So, all of you design thinkers out there, go, explore, think, create and learn because the sky has no limit and nor does your gutters

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