Journal · All of Japan
Look down: Japan's decorative manhole covers, and the free cards that go with them
Walking slowly and watching my footing on the Kumano Kodo, I started noticing what was underfoot. Japan's manhole covers are a small, free, slow-travel treasure hunt.
When your balance isn't great, you spend a lot of time looking at the ground. On our April 2018 trip through the Kumano region, that habit turned into a small hobby: photographing the cast-iron covers set into roads and sidewalks.
The cover at the top of this page is in Shingu, near Kumano Hayatama Taisha, with a radiating pattern and lettering cast into the iron. The one below was on a country road in the Kumano hills, with a simple geometric fret design.
Neither of mine is one of the famous full-color picture covers, which tells you something: even ordinary covers in Japan are often designed with care.
Why Japan's covers are so good
Japanese towns have long used their manhole covers as a small piece of local pride. Many feature a town's flower, tree, bird, landmark, festival or mascot, and some are painted in full color. You'll find them in big cities and tiny villages alike, and the designs change from one town to the next, so every new place has something new underfoot. Japanese fans call them manhoru, from the English word.
There are also special series, including Pokémon-themed covers placed in towns across Japan.
Manhole cards: a free souvenir
Since 2016, local governments and Japan's sewerage public-relations group, GKP, have issued free manhole cards: collectible cards showing a local cover, where it is and the story of its design. As of the 29th series in July 2026, GKP counts 1,311 designs from 783 local governments and four organizations.
- Cards are free and handed out one per person, in person, usually at a tourist information center, city office or sewer facility. They aren't mailed.
- Each card's distribution point and hours are set by the town, and stock can run out. Check the GKP manhole card page or the town's website before you make a special trip.
- New series come out about three times a year.
How to photograph them safely
- Watch for traffic and bikes. Many covers are in the road. Step back to the curb, or wait for a gap, before you stop and point a camera down.
- Shoot straight down, with your shadow out of the frame. Overcast days are easiest.
- Don't block narrow sidewalks or stand on a cover in the rain: wet iron is slippery.
- Note where you found it. A quick photo of a street sign or your map helps you remember which town it was.
Opening hours, routes and rules change; check before you go.