About Japan from... manhole covers, Kumamoto Higo Camellia

At the first glance, this artistic manhole cover from Kumamoto seems to be a simple decoration. The flower pictured is camellia, a flower cultivated everywhere around the country. However, there's more to it than that...

Camellia is the symbol flower of the Kumamoto city, and the city is well known for its special variety named Higo Camellia, after the old feudal name of the province. Higo Camellia was obtained here during the Edo period, and it is said that it was especially cultivated by the samurai class.