Detective Pikachu’s Ryme City made us really bummed that Pokémon aren’t real or populating our cities. Even though we can catch them all in Pokémon GO, we still want more pocket monster magic in our lives. Wouldn’t it be awesome to just go out and live in a place like Cerulean City or Sandgem Town? Turns out, the Pokémon Company agrees with us, and is doing something about it! Japan will get some Pokémon magic with all new themed manhole covers to populate its streets.
宮古来たらたまたまイシツブテのマンホール発見しました pic.twitter.com/3Q1WHTq0Q7
— ねこみや/埼玉 (@PokemonGo_neko) August 14, 2019
According to TimeOut Tokyo, Pokémon Local Acts will place specific Pokémon manhole covers in areas that match their respective personalities. For example, different evolutions of Eevee will pop up around the similarly-sounding prefecture Ibusuki. Meanwhile, rock type Pokémon, like Geodude, have been spotted in Iwate (because “iwa” translates to “rock” in Japanese). Of course, the Pikachu Outbreak-hosting Yokohama will have various Pikachu designs. Temporary covers in the area will feature Pikachu dressed up around letters that spell Yokohama. Meanwhile, a permanent cover at Sakuragicho Station in Yokohama will have some Pickachus exchanging flowers.
マンホール可愛かった！#ピカチュウ大量発生チュウ pic.twitter.com/wV9kYcKvLn
— ぽけもん小僧 (@Pokemon_Kozo) August 10, 2019
Besides being absolutely adorable, these manhole covers are also encouraging tourists to explore more of Japan. Instead of being in highly populated cities, these manhole covers will be placed in lesser-known areas to encourage exploration. Hopefully, people will discover the rich history and adventures of these areas, as a result of their Pokémon-searching journey. Oh, and besides snapping a picture for Instagram, these manhole covers will also serve as Pokémon Go hotspots! A win-win situation all around.
The Pokémon Local Acts project is hoping to roll out more manhole covers around Japan in the near future. For now, you can check out the current manhole covers’ locations on the official project website. We’re hoping that in the future a Clefairy or Cubone cover will pop up near Mt. Fuji.
Featured Image: Legendary/The Pokémon Company
