Japan’s stunningly artistic, customized manhole covers!

According to Hashi of the Tofugu blog, these pieces of public art were an innovative bargaining tool to get reluctant municipalities to sign on to national sewer standardization in the 80s.

To read the full story behind these beautiful manhole covers, visit the Tofugu post.

For a fuller collection, visit MRSY’s flickr photoset or the Japanese Manhole Cover flickr group.

Additionally, there’s a great book on the subject called Drainspotting.