The urban environment is for the playground of many artists, who try to give a more poetic dimension to the infrastructures and to all the other elements that are “part of the decor”. After the zebra crossings in Madrid colored by Christo Guelov and the dirty cars in Moscow customized by Nikita Golubev, it is the Japanese manhole covers that are the subject of a facelift (we couldn't find a worse pun!) . They are among the most mundane elements of the city landscape in most countries, and yet they are transformed into true masterpieces in different parts of the Asian nation. According to the place where they are located, they are decorated with symbols belonging to the animal and vegetable worlds specific to a city, a district, a space, according to the site Metro .
This brilliant idea came about in the 1980s, when projects to modernize sewers in medium-sized cities across the country met with reluctance from local populations. In order to satisfy the upset inhabitants, a “bureaucrat” whose identity is unknown proposed to make the plates more aesthetic. And here is the job! Today, 95% of the 1,780 municipalities have their own motif, including Osaka and Nara on the island of Honshu, Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido or the city of Beppu on the island of Kyushu. Our favorites go to the drawings of the city of Chuo-ku (Saitama prefecture) and Himeji (Hyōgo) which we place you in first and second positions below. Sublime! We let you admire these marvels which, we are sure, will brighten up the daily lives of city dwellers. When will there be a similar initiative in France?
