The Beauty of Shirakawa-go Artistic Manhole Covers
Ogimachi (荻町) is the largest village and main attraction of Shirakawa-go. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995, the village is home to several dozen well preserved gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old. The farmhouses are quite amazing structures, designed to withstand the harsh winters while providing a place to work and live, and are best seen either covered in snow or surrounded by green fields. In 1985, construction ministry came up with the idea of allowing municipalities to design their own manhole covers. His objective was to raise awareness for costly sewage projects and make them more palatable for taxpayers. According to the Japan Society of Manhole Covers today there are almost 6000 artistic manhole covers throughout Japan. And according to their latest findings, the largest single category are trees, followed by landscapes, floral designs and birds – all symbols that could, and surely did, boost local appeal.
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Ogimachi Village, Shirakawa-go, Ono District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Photo credit: © AunPein Cheah / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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