What You Can Learn From The Beauty of Japanese Manhole Covers

Some time ago I remember reading the story of Yasutake Kameda, the instigator who decided back in 1985 that creating beautiful and intricate manhole covers would be the ideal way to sell a skeptical Japanese public on the necessity of modernizing the country's sewer system. The idea has since become a distinctively Japanese example of urban art.

Recently I watched this captivating video of how those manhole covers are made. Interestingly, they estimate that the added cost of doing these artistic covers is just 5% higher than a regular cover (the color painting adds more expense). While the idea is widely known inside Japan, imagine if another city across the world implemented the same idea. Sometimes the perfect idea to help you stand out and differentiate could be something that is widely known somewhere else.