Photo/Illutration A huge faucet appears to be floating in the air in the Toyofuta district of Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, on Oct. 7. (Kyota Tsutsumi)

KASHIWA, Chiba Prefecture--When a construction company wanted to ask the public to conserve water, it sought to make a splash with the message. 

Today, Dyex Corp.'s request comes into stark view in the Toyofuta district here along a road. 

The company erected a huge faucet that appears to be floating in the air 10 meters above the ground, with tap water coming out of it.

While the eye-catching site is frequently mentioned on social media, it is not just a monument but a reminder to conserve water.

It was set up by Dyex, which specializes in water and air conditioning equipment.

Eizo Toda, 75, the founder and current chairman, said the company conceived the idea following water shortages in the 1990s.

At the time, the water levels of dams in the prefecture dropped due to low seasonal rainfall, often leading to water shortages.

The company put up a banner that read "Conserve water."

"But it was too inconspicuous and people didn't follow the message," Toda said. "So, we came up with the jumbo faucet."

The 1-ton faucet itself is 2.5 meters high and 5.5 meters long, with the handle measuring 2 meters in diameter.

It seems as if floating in mid-air by making the pillar on which it sits look like a column of water running out of it.

Dyex asked 33 studios to produce the parts, spending about 6 million yen ($38,400).

The monument was completed in May 1996 after about two months. It has been relocated three times.

It was originally set up in front of the company's Kashiwa office before it was moved to its main office in Matsudo, also in the prefecture.

It returned to the Kashiwa office when the main office relocated. The height was reduced to 3.5 meters because of safety concerns arising from increased traffic in the road along which it stood.

With redevelopment in progress, it was relocated to the current location in front of a material yard in 2021. At the same time, it was restored to its original height of 10 meters after the foundation and other parts were reinforced.

The unusual monument created a buzz on social media, raising Dyex's public profile.

Taxi drivers know where to go when passengers tell them to take them to the "faucet company."

In addition to its business operations, Dyex also makes contributions to local areas.

It has set up a space to accommodate about 500 residents on the second floor of its recreational facility in the event of an emergency.

In November 2024, it started a community-based online radio station called Kashimin FM to deliver local information.

"I hope it (the mid-air faucet) will be the symbol of the community along with its message of Conserve water," Toda said.

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