Not long after the Hakodate port was opened for commerce, the first foreign consulates were established in the city, and besides them appeared the first Christian churches.

Painted on this artistic manhole cover is the Orthodox Church of the Russian consulate, one of the oldest western-style buildings in Hakodate, designated as important cultural property.

Manhole Cover, Hakodate, Hokkaido

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Ganryu-jima, the site of the most famous samurai duel