Drainspotting

Japanese attention to detail never fails to surprise, they seem to care about everything, even about those things that are insignificant to the rest of the world, including manhole covers, of course! Started in early 80′s the art of the hole is something that has reached the point of a national obsession with numerous municipal departments competing against each other in the pursuit of perfect manhole cover. Designs range from images that evoke a region’s cultural identity, from flora and fauna, to landmarks and local festivals, to imaginary stories dreamed by school children.  Here are our favorite ones taken from a Flickr user who has diligently collected a huge variety of them. If you want to know everything about Japanese manhole covers, here is a great book it’s called “Drainspotting: Japanese Manhole Covers”.

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