Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers • Hacker News Board

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#21

Post by coldtea » Sun, Mar 17, 2019, 5:06 PM UTC

air7 wrote: post #13

coldtea wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it occasionally happens, in Japan they still have a sense of civic responsibility. They wouldn't do that. There's also the fact that you could (statistically) also forget your Macbook Pro in a crowded public park in Tokyo and come back 2 hours later to find it there untouched (and unstolen).

Wow. Was this ever (anecdotally) tested?

Sorta. It's not 100% safe, but it's good enough. In crime stats, it's among the lowest in the world, and 4 to 15 times less than the US (depending on crime).

https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Japan/Unit...

https://medium.com/@alascii/this-guy-left-a-laptop-in-a-toky...

https://www.attendly.com/the-astonishing-lost-and-found-cult...

https://japantoday.com/category/features/kuchikomi/japan-a-g...

https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-tokyo_tra...

(Of course, whatever Japanese culture might be, Japan now also has millions of tourists each year, with whom, YMMV).

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#22

Post by kartan » Sun, Mar 17, 2019, 5:20 PM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #10

z3t4 wrote: post #4

If they are too beautiful people might walk away with them.

While it occasionally happens, in Japan they still have a sense of civic responsibility. They wouldn't do that. There's also the fact that you could (statistically) also forget your Macbook Pro in a crowded public park in Tokyo and come back 2 hours later to find it there untouched (and unstolen).

> in Japan they still have a sense of civic responsibility

Tell me if I'm wrong. But, I see your "still" as if things were better in the past.

In litte towns, as everybody knows everybody, the rules are different. As more and more people moved to cities there was no family presure to behave. So, things were worst because family pressure desapeared and there was no substitution to get good behaviour. Big cities were a source of trouble.

But, I have seen an improvement everywhere I go. I saw this kind of transformation in Spain. As the country become less corrupt after the dictatorship, economics improved and a safety net was expanded Spaniards become more civic in the big cities.

Also, Japan takes care of its citizens. Japanese expect the goberment and the company they work for to take care of them. Societies that promote a every-man-for-himself approach have a harder time to ensure public civic behaviour.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#23

Post by xfitm3 » Sun, Mar 17, 2019, 5:27 PM UTC

hrktb wrote: post #18

Fun fact: they sometimes make them with celebrities, which happen to be cause public outrage later in their career, causing issues with what to do with the manholes. Recently Pierre Taki was arrested for Cocaine, and the manhole with him on it is in an interesting debate, the town is thinking about covering it: https://news.nicovideo.jp/watch/nw4980896

That's disappointing

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#24

Post by snvzz » Sun, Mar 17, 2019, 5:29 PM UTC

I visited numazu recently, and took this manhole's pic: https://imgur.com/a/sihTun3

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#25

Post by sonnyblarney » Sun, Mar 17, 2019, 5:30 PM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #9

NegatioN wrote: post #2

I remember this was one thing that really made an impact on me about Japan when I went there as an exchange student. "Even their manholes are thoroughly done and look amazing! What is even going on!?" They can still make me smile every now and again when I visit, and I really admire the "Japanese sense of" (I don't know if it's particular to Japan) putting lots of effort into something seemingly mundane; putting effo…

> I wish there was more of this artisanship in the everyday city-life around us, to keep remind us how lovely life can really be. It's easy to forget sometimes. Modern cities and buildings are all about quick bucks and ROI. Even our costly monumental works (museums and such) are built by inflated-ego architects for the bucks, and with no sense of public beauty -- just their modernist or post-modernist personal ideolo…

Yes, this is very true and I think hints at the reason why those manhole covers can exist in Japan, whereas they'd be unthinkable in North America. The notion would be laughed out of any city budget here.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#26

Post by sonnyblarney » Sun, Mar 17, 2019, 5:32 PM UTC

I absolutely love this, not so much for the covers which are great, but the sense of civic participation that would enable such a thing to happen.

Someone on city council has to approve budgets for this ...

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#27

Post by ascar » Sun, Mar 17, 2019, 5:39 PM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #10

z3t4 wrote: post #4

If they are too beautiful people might walk away with them.

While it occasionally happens, in Japan they still have a sense of civic responsibility. They wouldn't do that. There's also the fact that you could (statistically) also forget your Macbook Pro in a crowded public park in Tokyo and come back 2 hours later to find it there untouched (and unstolen).

I was in Tokyo to the emperors new years speach and we got two Japanese plastic flags to wave around that we could keep after the event.

We walked a bit in the city and my spouse wanted to take pictures of me in a park. She put the flags on the ground for a minute (with me thinking: you can't do that!) and went tops 30m away from them to get a better angle. When we were done, they were gone. I'm actually certain they were not stolen, but some Japanese just cleaned up.

In general, the collective effort of the Japanese to keep their cities clean with basically no public bins around is amazing.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#28

Post by livueta » Sun, Mar 17, 2019, 5:48 PM UTC

air7 wrote: post #13

coldtea wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it occasionally happens, in Japan they still have a sense of civic responsibility. They wouldn't do that. There's also the fact that you could (statistically) also forget your Macbook Pro in a crowded public park in Tokyo and come back 2 hours later to find it there untouched (and unstolen).

Wow. Was this ever (anecdotally) tested?

Order of magnitude difference in cost, but one time I left my e-reader on a bench in Yoyogi Park when I got distracted by the baked sweet potato cart and wandered off without it.

I came back an hour later to find an old lady, having occupied my former spot, waiting a while to see if the owner returned before taking it to the nearby police box. I was all over myself apologizing and thanking her in my crappy Japanese, but she didn't get what I perceived as abnormal about the situation. She didn't even take me up on my offer of a baked sweet potato.

Another time, I accidentally sprayed 500 yen (so, roughly $5) coins all over the floor at Comiket when trying to extract change from pocket. Being Comiket, a coin rolling a few meters may as well have been a mile off due to the sheer crush of bodies. Since I was at the head of the line and didn't want to inconvenience everyone behind me, I mentally wrote them off as a loss and continued buying my hen^Wartbooks, only to have all the coins immediately returned by a guy who saw what had happened and went scrambling around for them. He, too, refused all thanks and melted back into the crowd.

So, although I can't attest to the laptop thing, it definitely wouldn't surprise me. The similar anecdotes in this thread seem to agree.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#29

Post by snvzz » Sun, Mar 17, 2019, 6:04 PM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #10

z3t4 wrote: post #4

If they are too beautiful people might walk away with them.

While it occasionally happens, in Japan they still have a sense of civic responsibility. They wouldn't do that. There's also the fact that you could (statistically) also forget your Macbook Pro in a crowded public park in Tokyo and come back 2 hours later to find it there untouched (and unstolen).

If it's not there anymore, it's in lost+found.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#30

Post by bemmu » Sun, Mar 17, 2019, 6:12 PM UTC

air7 wrote: post #13

coldtea wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it occasionally happens, in Japan they still have a sense of civic responsibility. They wouldn't do that. There's also the fact that you could (statistically) also forget your Macbook Pro in a crowded public park in Tokyo and come back 2 hours later to find it there untouched (and unstolen).

Wow. Was this ever (anecdotally) tested?

My experience with lost items in Japan so far.

Been bicycling daily here for 10 years, never lock my bike. It's been stolen once, but with a bike costing Forgot an iPhone once on a bench outside. Person who found it immediately called my contacts to find out how to return it.

Dropped my wallet once in Tokyo. It was returned to the nearest police box in less than an hour.