Osaka artistic manhole cover and a bit of history

Archeologists discovered that the first sewerage systems appeared in Japan more than 2200 years ago. Actually, those ancient systems were built so well that one of them, dating from 1583, still works today! It is a stone culvert located around the Osaka Castle and it is called the Taiko Sewerage.

The first modern sewerage system was built in Tokyo during the 50's and with the new systems some cities started installing manhole covers featuring artistic designs... like the one in the photo, representing the Osaka castle seen through pink blooming sakura twigs.