Explore everyday life in Japan
These days, it is not much of a secret that Japan has a wide variety of decorative manhole covers all across the country. In fact, a rough estimate would put the number at around 1,655 distinct manhole covers that celebrate many of the trees, flowers, rivers, gardens, animals, foods, architecture, and symbols that are considered to be unique to and representative of most of Japan’s 1,780 municipalities.
What may be lesser known, however, is that there are now collectible Manhole Cards which can only be obtained in person (one card per person) and only at specific locations (It appears that each card has its own location.). These cards were first made in 2016 and have slowly been released, one card at a time, since their inception. At the moment, there are only 222 different Manhole Cards being issued from 191 different municipalities, but that number will continue to grow as new cards are steadily released.
Of course, when many people come to Japan, they don’t necessarily think to look down. Often, they are too busy looking upward and around them at the traffic, the pedestrians, the buildings and shrines, etc., but if you ever find yourself in Japan, be sure to keep your eyes on the street as well.
You will be sure to find some fantastic examples of Japanese art and craftsmanship even at your feet. And while it might be fun and plenty satisfying to just snap a few pictures of the different manhole covers you find during your travels here, why not go the extra step and get yourself some collectible Manhole Cards as well. Who knows, you might be able to sell them on Rakuten to someone with an insatiable manhole cover obsession.
For more information on where to pick up these cards while you are in Japan, please refer to this website. The information is in Japanese, but you can always translate it using a translation website or just contact me for help.
Sources: Manhole covers: The Japan Times
The Beauty of Japan’s Artistic Manhole Covers
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.