Manhole cover in Kyoto
All around Japan, manhole covers vary in character and design depending on which region and district you’re at. We came across this manhole cover around the Sanjo-dori district in Kyoto and found it very clever (and handy!) since we’ve pretty much lost our bearings right at that moment.
These are everyday manhole covers around the country and not a product of someone’s art exhibit. I admire the attention to detail and the way the Japanese infuse beauty and precision even in the most ordinary of objects.
People think I’m kidding when I tell them to look for manhole covers when they travel to Japan but as I mentioned in a previous post, there is beauty in the mundane.
This definitely puts a new meaning to “functional art” 
Beauty in the mundane indeed! Nice post!
Wonderful – adding beauty to mundane objects
I love how they do that so well over there. Wish I took more pictures
Man hole covers…who would have known. Very cool post! Also, thanks for stopping by my blog and for the like!
There are other blogs that have a slew of covers from all over Japan! Love finding random art
Thanks for dropping in, too!
This art goes back thousands of years. The Mouth of Truth in Rome is actually an enormous manhole cover. The pictures are beautiful. Cheers
That’s awesome — I didn’t know it was there for sewage purposes
Thanks for dropping in, Wanderinggenie!
No worries, my pleasure. Your post was great. Give us a visit some time. Do you travel much?
Thank you
I must confess I’m a very lazy, fussy traveler and do not travel as often as my friends — who ironically are extreme travelers and can sit through 20-hour plane rides easily. As I write this, I can see portions of Indonesia from my window (really) and yet I haven’t been there 
I travel, yes but hopefully I shall travel as often as I do in my head 
Indonesia … AMAZING! You should do a blog on that and post plenty of pics. I, at least, would love to see it. Are there any cool or unique things there that I in the States wound’t know about? Not just off the wall but the mundane there but exotic here.
We live in Singapore and YES there are a LOT of old, colorful and beautiful places around here. My favorite are the weathered shophouses all around with its details window designs. You’ll see a lot of it here in the blog. I’ve managed to categorize four major categories for posts on the right panel of the blog for easy browsing: Singapore, Japan, Manila and NYC
My apologies, let me take a more considered look and get back to you. That said, I intend to go to Singapore soon for vacation and may well use your blog as a resource. Thanks for the heads up. If you don’t mind I may contact you again for advice on street eat or Hawker stands (not sure if I spelled that correctly). All the best. Cheers
Feel free to message me through email and the blog. Yup, you spelled it right
I can give you a list of major hawker centers but I’m personally not well-versed with it. They do, however, serve its purpose for anyone who wants to eat a diverse selection and try everything all in one go! If you are a foodie, I can recommend all sorts of small places that are not necessarily in hawker areas if you’re open to that as well?
That would be so amazing I can’t even tell you. Thank you so much for going out of your way to help. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. I will keep you posted on our travels and will definitely keep in touch. Thanks again. Cheers
No worries
Have a great week ahead.
Quick Question: Are Soft Shell Crabs in season now?
Oh wow. I can go on and on about softshell crabs as people here creatively incorporate it in many dishes. Crabs in all shapes and sizes (my fave is Sri Lankan crabs) are always in season