The Japanese have a celebrated eye for design and appreciation for beauty. This extends to – of all things – its manhole covers. They come in a variety of designs depending on the cover’s location, utility type and manufacturer, and certainly one of our favorites (see left) can be found in the birth place of Hachikō, the famed Akita who waited for an owner who never returned.
Another Akita manhole cover can be found in Kamakurando, a tourist destination in Yokote City. This Akita is the city’s mascot, Nobu (below):
The cover below was found on Pinterest, origin unknown, but the breed gives us an idea of how valued the Akita is in Japan:
Below, a cover in Yuzawa, Akita:
