Japan Covers Manholes with 'Pokemon', 'Hello Kitty', and Other Iconic Pop Culture Icons

While a lot of manholes around the world are mostly dull and regular looking, the manholes in Japan tells a different story. In Japan, manholes even include some striking pieces of street art!

'Pokemon' Manhold Lids in Japan

For those in Japan or at least planning to go to this country, it might be worth looking down since there's a chance to spot a particular utility cover decorated with maybe a calming floral or even a mountain scene. The list goes on and on as to what people could possibly find as manhole covers but sometimes, there might be a pop culture icon, a sports mascot, or even some really popular shows and games like "Pokemon" or even "Hello Kitty".

According to CNet, the interesting thing about these Pokemon manhole covers is that they actually have a name! In Japan, they are called "pokefuta" which means Poke Lids in English. They are usually located in 15 different prefectures all around the country and they look pretty adorable.

Poke Lids to Boost Tourism

Just last week, Miyazaki, the very first city located on the island of Kyushu started to boast about the Poke Lids. They announced that the city will be getting eight additional designs which would include some classic favorite "Pokemons" like Marshtomp, Raichu, and even Exeggcute.

The expansion now builds on the whole campaign of bringing other visitors to some lesser-known places of Japan. The Poke Lids are reportedly being installed on the Miyazaki streets and feature some cheerful colors, local sights, and even palm trees to brightly represent the city's very own year-round warm climate.

Japanese Manhole Art

The colorful manholes aren't actually something new to Japan. In fact, the artistic Japanese manholes date back all the way to the mid-1980s, according to Atlas Obscura. These were when the public officials tried to sell some skeptical rural residents on the whole costly but still necessary way to modernize the Japanese sewer system.

Over the course of time, the now really intricate designs have started to attract some devoted followers who would travel around the country in order to take photos and even attend the local manhole cover festivals around. The Poke Lids reportedly come in over 160 different designs.

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Pokemon Manhole Location

Those interested can check out the official Poke Lids website in order to see which particular Pokemon manhole cover can they actually spot within a given region. The website even includes maps that show every single Poke Lid as well as its corresponding location. For die hard fans of "Pokemon," this could be a sign that it's time to travel Japan and catch them all (through pictures of course).

While a lot of people go to Japan for their love of "Pokemon" adding the Poke Lids to their list of sites to see could be another interesting option.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian B.