If you have ever seen Japanese manhole covers before, you already know that they are an absolute work of art.
There is nothing quite like them in all of the world and we are spellbound every time that we see them. That’s what makes this documentary such an awesome one. You are finally given the chance to get behind the curtain, so to speak.
The designs are even inspired by all of their most popular pop culture exports. Yes, there are Pokemon manhole covers, before you even ask. The process of creating them is celebrated by local residents, of course. Tourists are also more than happy to get in on the fun. Now, Japan is looking to cater to all of this enthusiasm by starting its very own manhole cover festival.
The process of crafting the manhole covers is already amazing and as you would expect, the process of starting this festival is just as awesome.
Process X is a great YouTube channel that takes us behind the scenes of a number of Japanese manufacturing processes and now they are here to show us more about these manhole covers. The documentary they created about the manhole covers is short but it is well worth your time.
In fact, we found ourselves wishing that it could be longer, in all actuality. The creation operation that you are about to see takes place at the Hinode Water Equipment Co. factory. It all starts with a machine that raises all of the irregular pieces and transports them to the right location. The scrap metal pieces are taken to the melting spot and it only gets cooler from there.
After that step, this is where the most alluring part of the documentary takes place. This is where the colorful designs are applied to the manhole covers. The paint is carefully loaded into various bottles and then it is applied by hand. The process is similar to watching someone complete a coloring book. These colors are what elevate these manhole covers and make them worth checking out.
We will not spoil the rest of the informative documentary for our readers, as we are urging you to take a moment to watch it immediately: