Happy Thought for 6 October 2023

Have a Happy Thought:

 

One time, when I was hiking a part of the Appalachian Trail, I came across a sign that just said: Look up!

Admittedly, I had been staring at the ground, puffing and panting up a hill. And when I followed the sign’s instructions, I was granted a beautiful view over a river valley. 

 

Today, though, I am reminding you that sometimes it’s good to look down, as well – especially if you happen to be walking city streets in Japan.

 

In the early 1980s, city governments decided that one way to get citizens interested in building, upgrading, and maintaining underground water systems (stormwater and wastewater – 2 of the 3 waters for those counting in New Zealand) was to put unique designs on the manhole covers. So each city/town government got to work designing something unique, and the results are quite beautiful. To the point that you may want to go Drainspotting on your next visit.

 

Some covers are subtle enough that you may not notice anything different unless you’re looking for it:


Image: https://flic.kr/p/2nHKMtz by Ville Misaki, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED

 

 

Others start to get a little bit more intricate, and might catch your eye:


Image: https://flic.kr/p/2nBWac7 by Ville Misaki, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED

 

You might see some covers starting to get a little bit more eye-catching:


Image: https://flic.kr/p/nwz8dH by gérard,  CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED

 

Others are fully painted to really catch your eye:


Image: https://flic.kr/p/2p7e6rg by jpellgen (@1179_jp)  CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED

 

 

Until maybe you’re lucky enough to see one of these fully painted pieces of art:


Image: https://flic.kr/p/2p69eUk by jpellgen (@1179_jp)  CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED

 

 

 

See more (or even add your own!) at this crowd-sourced photo album: https://www.flickr.com/groups/japanese_manhole_covers/pool/

 

Thanks to https://mas.to/@MU_Peter/111069288219132175 for pointing us to this article: https://www.openculture.com/2023/07/behold-the-unique-beauty-of-japans-artistic-manhole-covers.html

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