Yesterday some Shizuoka City Civil servants had been already been busy all morning when I reached the spot on the east side of the Shizuoka Municipal Hospital for the official installment of the new manhole cover to be be laid upon 40 out 56 fire hydrants.

The spot had been conveniently chosen across the street from the Sumpu Castle Park!

I had already discovered freshly installed covers near the Mizuho Bank,…

in another spot from across the Sumpu Castle Park,…

on Sengen Shrine Street,…

in front of a soba restaurant,…

on the street along Cenova Department Store!

This was the spot chosen for the “media”!

The old plate laid in 2007 to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu retirement to Sumpu Castle in Fuchu as Shizuoka was called then.

One can discover other beautiful covers nearby but they don’t concern the fire department. The one above is laid over a manhole for access to spent waters and sewers.

The City Water Department led by my new friend, Mr. Yuuta Fujii/藤井勇太さん, finally arrived at the “spot”!

The truck full of covers!

For the city’s records!

The “local media” was just on time!

The new cover with its protective layer!

Lifting off the old cover!

The fire hydrant!

Change of eras!

The last tap!

The new cover with the date “2015” commemorating the 400th Annivesary of the death of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu in Sumpu Castle!
The motif represents Mount Fuji, Miho Matsubara Beach, Suruga Bay and the Kunozan Toshogu Shrine!

Old and new covers!
Some of the old ones will be kept for emergency replacement while others will be either destroyed or recycled fr the metal.

Work done!

The “local media” at work.
Unfortunately they had little or no clue about the manhole covers, their history and what they represented.
A foreign resident had to explain them…

On my way back I noticed the one in front of one m\of my favorite bars along the Miyuki Cho Street and foreigners talking pictures of it!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

So Good Sushi Restaurant in Nice France
Navigating Nagoya by Paige, Shop with Intent by Debbie, BULA KANA in Fiji, Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pie
rre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Ichi For The Michi by Rebekah Wilson-Lye in Tokyo, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
ABRACADABREW, Magical Craftbeer from Japan
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City