Especially when I visit a place for the first time, there are so many things to look at in front, behind, left, right, above and below, that I become a very busy person. (^O^)
The first one - The iron cover to the sewer (or other) openings in Japan is very artistic and interesting. Each city or town seems to have its own design. I don't understand what 温仕切弁 indicates in the 4th photo.
仕切り弁 is splitter valve and 温 indicates hotness, so I assume it’s for controlling distribution of steam or onsen water.
I also like the manhole cover art that is different in every area, I try to photograph them when I can. In the Tokyu Hands they had t-shirts printed with these designs from various locales as souvenirs.
I suspected it was a pipe for hot water but rejected the idea. No city would run hot water under the street, I thought. Then I looked up Okazaki City to find that they have onsen (hot spring) and many public baths indeed! I want to visit there.
Beppu in Kyushu also has city piped onsen water in some areas and households can tap into it without a monthly charge, which is a nice municipal benefit.
I think the character "温" engraved on the cover means hot spring, as Buzen-san said. Actually, the photo of wisteria flowers I posted the other day was taken at a famous wisteria spot in Okazaki, and I just realized that there is a wisteria flower engraved on the first manhole cover. Incidentally, I took the fourth photo in Komagane, Nagano Prefecture.
Looking down, not always ahead, or at a screen, can reveal interesting compositions.
Especially when I visit a place for the first time, there are so many things to look at in front, behind, left, right, above and below, that I become a very busy person. (^O^)
The first one - The iron cover to the sewer (or other) openings in Japan is very artistic and interesting. Each city or town seems to have its own design. I don't understand what 温仕切弁 indicates in the 4th photo.
仕切り弁 is splitter valve and 温 indicates hotness, so I assume it’s for controlling distribution of steam or onsen water.
I also like the manhole cover art that is different in every area, I try to photograph them when I can. In the Tokyu Hands they had t-shirts printed with these designs from various locales as souvenirs.
I suspected it was a pipe for hot water but rejected the idea. No city would run hot water under the street, I thought. Then I looked up Okazaki City to find that they have onsen (hot spring) and many public baths indeed! I want to visit there.
Beppu in Kyushu also has city piped onsen water in some areas and households can tap into it without a monthly charge, which is a nice municipal benefit.
Beppu is very famous but I was not aware of Okazaki as an Onsen city. Now I know.
I think the character "温" engraved on the cover means hot spring, as Buzen-san said. Actually, the photo of wisteria flowers I posted the other day was taken at a famous wisteria spot in Okazaki, and I just realized that there is a wisteria flower engraved on the first manhole cover. Incidentally, I took the fourth photo in Komagane, Nagano Prefecture.