Japan is the absolute world champion of gorgeous manhole covers!
In almost every city and town the humble sewer lid is turned into a tiny piece of public art:
- Local landmarks, cherry blossoms, animals, fairy-tale characters…
- Gifu Prefecture → cranes
- Okinawa → coral reefs and sea turtles
- Tokyo → deep blue designs
- Kyoto → soft green with subtle sakura patterns
They’re so pretty that people collect photos of them, trade limited-edition cards, and even buy official replicas as souvenirs!
How to say it in Japanese
- マンホール manhōru → manhole (everyday word)
- マンホールの蓋 まんほーるのふた manhōru no futa → manhole cover
The word マンホール is a direct loan from English “manhole” (“man + hole” = a hole big enough for a human to enter). It arrived in Japan in the 1920s–30s, when the country was rapidly modernising its infrastructure and borrowed tons of technical terms from English.
Which Japanese manhole would you like to find? Show me photos if you have any! 👇