A few years ago, Pokemon started collaborating with local municipalities around Japan to create ‘Poke Lids’ (called Pokefuta in Japanese). These are manhole covers with amazing one-of-a-kind Pokemon designs. It was originally created to encourage more tourism to lesser-known areas, since if you want to see your favourite Pokemon’s cover, you have to go to that particular location.

But the campaign proved so popular that now these designs can be found all over Japan, even in popular areas like central Tokyo and tourist hot spots like Kyoto.

A prefecture which participated quite early on was Hokkaido, and they’ve just got even more manholes installed. As Japan’s biggest and northernmost prefecture, the covers are spread far and wide for intrepid Pokemon trainers to find. The Pokemon chosen to be included in these adorable original designs is Vulpix, and in Japan’s frozen north, it’s only appropriate that Vulpix’s ice-type regional form, the Alolan Vulpix, be included too.

Seven new designs have been installed, bringing Hokkaido’s grand total to 26. These seven manhole covers were installed in time for Tanabata on 7/7 and also feature seven Pokemon, so you can see a bit of a theme going on.

Each design stars Vulpix, as well as the various other Pokemon frolicking about.

The location of each of these one-of-a-kind covers can be found on the Poke Lids website, which now includes 189 individual covers scattered all across Japan.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.