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Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

atlasobscura.com

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Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#71

Post by electricslpnsld »

sonnyblarney wrote: post #25
coldtea wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

> The notion would be laughed out of any city budget here.

I could see it happening. Portland, Oregon has an art tax that goes towards things like large scale murals in public spaces. An extra 5-10% on the cost of a man hole cover would fit within this, easily.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#72

Post by fenomas »

bowties2cool wrote: post #63
ekianjo wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> with celebrities, which happen to be cause public outrage later in their career, That's the funny thing about Japan. Regarding outrage and celebrities. I have seen that over and over in the past 10 years, it goes like that (not talking about manholes here): - Celebrity X is super popular and well loved - Celebrity X gets into trouble for something that is frowned upon in society. - Mass media rush to eat Celebrity…

Genuine question, can you elaborate on why you feel that such cycles are nonsensical? Cuz for me I just think that the celeb "paid their dues" by not receiving compensation/exposure for some time (like a prison sentence in the public eye), and if the misendeavor is minor enough they can be reaccepted.

Not GP, but I think they're saying that the whole process unfolds nonsensically, not that people making comebacks specifically is odd. That is, one celebrity may quickly bounce back from the same kind of scandal that burns someone else forever.

I'm no expert but I gather it has a lot to do with how powerful the talent agency involved is, and the relationships between the agencies and the news outlets.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#73

Post by tlear »

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?

Yeah. I have had an iPhone returned after leaving it by accident on a train. A luggage with a MacBook air inside returned as well. Funniest part was reaction of my coworker who helped me figure out where I should call to get the luggage. It did not occur to him that stuff inside might get stolen(Japanese guy)

In Canada I just assume anything not bolted down will get stolen. I left company laptop on a taxi before and it got stolen, even so I called the taxi company 2 mins after.. lol one of the many reason I have no problem with Uber screwing cabbies.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#74

Post by ekianjo »

bowties2cool wrote: post #63
ekianjo wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> with celebrities, which happen to be cause public outrage later in their career, That's the funny thing about Japan. Regarding outrage and celebrities. I have seen that over and over in the past 10 years, it goes like that (not talking about manholes here): - Celebrity X is super popular and well loved - Celebrity X gets into trouble for something that is frowned upon in society. - Mass media rush to eat Celebrity…

Genuine question, can you elaborate on why you feel that such cycles are nonsensical? Cuz for me I just think that the celeb "paid their dues" by not receiving compensation/exposure for some time (like a prison sentence in the public eye), and if the misendeavor is minor enough they can be reaccepted.

It is nonsensical for several reasons. First the outrage is largely manufactured by the media. Then, the public apologies are a tradition rather than genuine apologies. Just disappearing for a couple of years without fixing your actual behavior is absolutely fake, since it makes your apology a big farce.

This is all for show.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#75

Post by socratesque »

> "A manhole cover in Tokyo depicting “fireboys.”

I can swear I saw this one somewhere the other day. Unless there's another one just like it. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I remember clearly giving it a glance when I was walking somewhere. I want to say the firemen were monkeys though.. maybe a different one, same depiction.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#76

Post by bobbles »

ekianjo wrote: post #60
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

> with celebrities, which happen to be cause public outrage later in their career, That's the funny thing about Japan. Regarding outrage and celebrities. I have seen that over and over in the past 10 years, it goes like that (not talking about manholes here): - Celebrity X is super popular and well loved - Celebrity X gets into trouble for something that is frowned upon in society. - Mass media rush to eat Celebrity…

Doesnt really sound any different to media treatment of celebrities outside of Japan...

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#77

Post by hrktb »

bobbles wrote: post #76
ekianjo wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> with celebrities, which happen to be cause public outrage later in their career, That's the funny thing about Japan. Regarding outrage and celebrities. I have seen that over and over in the past 10 years, it goes like that (not talking about manholes here): - Celebrity X is super popular and well loved - Celebrity X gets into trouble for something that is frowned upon in society. - Mass media rush to eat Celebrity…

Doesnt really sound any different to media treatment of celebrities outside of Japan...

Except music distributors are removing the musicians’ past tracks out of their catalog. It’s always been this way, but it gets weirder as time goes.

In comparison Usual Suspects is still on sale on iTunes.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#78

Post by Joakal »

sonnyblarney wrote: post #39
coldtea wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The notion would be laughed out of any city budget here. An ironic thing is that, not caring about immediate ROI and budget justifications in the past (and investing in public parks, nice buildings, etc), is what makes some cities tons of money (from millions of tourists every year). Will ever a new city (born under the "quick ROI is everything/who cares for beauty" mindset) be as nice as to attract visitors in the…

With cities I don't think it's 'ROI' so much utility and pressing budgetary needs. There is always a war over budget. There are 10 projects that 'they'd like to do but can't'. Every city wants more buses, has potholes, has sewage problems, needs infrastructure. 'Pretty manholes' might not make it to the top unless someone really, really cares. Or it's part of a secondary budget.

In NSW, Australia, there's many millions for stadium repair. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/mar/29/glady...

For child abuse for poor people? Budget cuts. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-19/nsw-legal-aid-refuses...

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#79

Post by bigj0n »

electricslpnsld wrote: post #71
sonnyblarney wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> The notion would be laughed out of any city budget here. I could see it happening. Portland, Oregon has an art tax that goes towards things like large scale murals in public spaces. An extra 5-10% on the cost of a man hole cover would fit within this, easily.

5-10% isnt realistic. These are carved from aluminum and molds are custom made, and the colored ones are than partially filled with colored resin.

This adds substantial material costs, but more importantly adds a lot of skilled labor to a process which is usually just simple casting.

Re: Japan’s elaborate, colorful manhole covers

#80

Post by thousandautumns »

DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #8

Why do some of the manhole covers have English, not Japanese, text on them?

Japanese people like English a lot. They all learn it in school. Most aren't that great, but they are good enough that English words and phrases are appealing, even if many of those phrases end up nonsensical.

If you visit Japan for any length of time, you will notice English phrases used all over the place, from restaurants, to street signs, to advertising and television, to the clothing people wear. I lived there for a few years right around the time Obama won the election in '08, and I encountered kids probably 6 years old who would shout "Yes we can!" when they saw me pass by. They tend to be more culturally aware and interested in Western culture (particularly American culture) than we do of them (which is saying something, given that Japanese culture is fairly popular in the West).

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