“Public art” and “sanitation infrastructure” generally don’t mix. But in Japan, cities and towns regularly get creative with manhole covers, placing visually stunning works of art right underneath pedestrians’ feet. There are almost 6,000 of the covers around the country, turning a decidedly unglamorous necessity into museum-worthy art. Photographer S. Morita has documented hundreds of these covers over the years; the complete set is available on Morita’s Flickr page. Here are some of the highlights.
Image Credit: S. Morita
Image Credit: S. Morita
Image Credit: S. Morita
Image Credit: S. Morita
Image Credit: S. Morita
Image Credit: S. Morita
Image Credit: S. Morita
Image Credit: S. Morita
Image Credit: S. Morita
Image Credit: S. Morita
Image Credit: S. Morita
Image Credit: S. Morita