Pokemon is extremely popular in Japan, so much that cities install special manhole covers called “Poke-Lids” representing the pokemon associated with their prefecture.
This time around, it’s time for the northern island of Hokkaido to receive four brand new Poke-lids featuring Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix in the cities of Mikasa, Tomakomai, Kamifurano, and Kenbuchi.
Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix are the specific Pokemon associated with the Hokkaido prefecture and you can see the new manholes below, alongside a picture from the unveiling presentation with the two critters in mascot form posing in front of Sapporo City Hall.
Each Poke-lid is one-of-a-kind, sporting its own original design that doesn’t appear anywhere else. Of course, this comes with the benefit of encouraging many fans to visit local communities to snap a collectible pictures, boosting tourism and business.
The trend started with the installation of the first Poke-lid portraying Eevee in Ibusuki, Kagoshima prefecture, back in December 2018. As of now, 139 of the colorful manholes have been installed in eleven prefectures including the four mentioned here.
If you want to see more, you can check out those installed in Tottori prefecture featuring Sandshrew and Sandslash and the lids portraying Chansey in Fukushima prefecture.
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