For a city that has so much that distinguishes it from other towns in the prefecture—namely, Yamé cha (tea) and Yamé ningyō (dolls)—they sure did choose a boring manhole design. What is the message they are trying to convey? That the sun never sets in this city? Well, I'm sorry to say, the sun did in fact set on this sleepy town a very long time ago. The origin of the town’s name Yamé (八女, lit. “8 woman”) comes from the Nihon Shoki (日本書紀, also known as The Chronicles of Japan), the second oldest book of classical Japanese history, which claimed that a goddess named Yame Tsuhime (八女津姫) lived in the region. For more on Yamé, go here.
Yamé City, Sewage