A city in central Japan recently held a lottery for decorative manhole covers after a sale offer became twenty-times oversubscribed.
Maebashi, which is 77 miles (124 km) north of Tokyo, put ten second-hand manhole covers on the market for 3,000 yen ($27; £20) with three different designs, and was surprised to receive over 200 applications to buy them, broadcaster NHK reports, external.
According to TV Asahi, the winners may have grabbed a bargain, given that new covers cost some 60,000 yen each, but some of the lucky collectors have still yet to decide what to do with them.
One buyer, who took the day off work to drive up from Tokyo to collect his 40 kg (88 lb) purchase, shares the dilemma of many people who make off-the-wall purchases: where to keep it now that he’s got it. “I’ll put it in my porch, then I’ll think about what to do with it,” he told NHK.
However, he hints that there may be a touch of buyer’s regret, and a drain cover may not be entirely welcome at home. TV Asahi, external caught up with him in his cramped Tokyo porch, where he told the broadcaster: “I’m in trouble. This is the last time.”
