How to join and all the prizes

When exploring Tokyo, it’s easy to get distracted by the towering skyscrapers, twinkling lights, and billboards from everything going on above you. But next time you’re out and about, try looking down.

It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 designer manhole covers across Japan, with cities and communities referencing local specialties, tourist attractions, mascots, and sometimes even pop culture icons to create their own exclusive designs. Here’s a guide to everything you need to know about these unique manhole covers.

A Brief History of Designer Shajing

Japanese-designed manhole covers first appeared in Naha, Okinawa around 1977. The design features swirls of geometric fish surrounding the lid. The manhole initiative helps to increase public awareness and understanding of the sewerage system while also adding good visual appeal to the street. Colored manhole covers were introduced in 1981, and some were coated with fluorescent paint to make them easier to see at night.

Tokyo Design Manhole Digital Rally

Today, designer manhole covers can be seen all over Japan. There are more than 200 in Tokyo alone. Some town halls and tourist centers even offer free manhole trading cards to visitors. These Pokémon card-like keepsakes have stats and descriptions about each cover and manhole otaku These popular cards are being collected and even resold for thousands of yen. Some prices are as high as 50,000 yen.

How to participate in the Tokyo Design Manhole Digital Rally

this Tokyo Design Manhole Digital Rally is a Tokyo Metropolitan Government campaign that allows you to “collect” designer manhole covers from 62 municipalities in the capital. When you find and scan a cover, you’ll earn points that you can use to enter draws to win exclusive prizes.

To participate in the rally, players need to visit event website on their smartphone and answer a short questionnaire to register (note that users cannot play the game in a “private mode” browser window as stamps will not be saved).

The website provides detailed maps of all the manhole covers involved, with photos of each manhole cover, so you can easily plan your visit. When a player encounters a manhole cover while out in Tokyo and clicks the “stamp” button online, the manhole cover will be registered into the account through GPS authentication.

This promotion is valid until March 31, 2025.

Where to find designer manhole covers in Tokyo

It’s always a fun surprise when you suddenly come across a cool manhole cover while walking around Tokyo. However, if you specialize in manhole hunting, interactive map All target points are conveniently marked, along with a short description and the precise location of each cap so you don’t get lost. You can also use the map’s search feature or the “Search Nearby” button if you’re looking for a specific design.

Character Manhole: Discover your favorite pop culture icons

There are many stylish manhole cover designs featuring popular characters from comics, anime, video games, and other beloved series. We’ve profiled a few character manhole covers here Tokyo weekend, For example Gundam and Sailor Moon design. Here are some other standouts and where to find them:

rally prizes

Each designer manhole cover you collect will earn you points, which you can redeem for raffle entries. The map is divided into four sections, with each area awarding a different number of points.

• Tokyo 23 wards: 1 manhole cover = 1 point
• Beiyu and Nanyu areas: 1 manhole cover = 2 points
• Nishitama area: 1 manhole cover = 3 points
• Island area: 1 manhole cover = 5 points

There are also various tourist attractions, and you can also scan points. You can only apply once for each lottery ticket. Application deadline is 11:59pm on January 31, 2025

The person who receives the highest prize (50 points) will receive long island foundry Manhole Cover Factory, where guests can get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the production process of designer manhole covers located in Kuki City, Saitama Prefecture. This seems to be a wonderful experience for the manhole otaku Get an inside look at the process of making these covers – from metal melting, all the way to painting and installation. This coveted prize will only be awarded to 50 lucky players.

Second prize – 30 points – is a set of three mini cotton towels. These designs feature replicas of actual designer manhole covers. Towels are randomly selected so you are in for a surprise when you unbox them. The award will be awarded to 200 people.

The easiest prize (only 6 points) is the 2025 Designer Manhole Desk Calendar. The new year is just around the corner, and at the turn of every month comes new cover designs. The award will be awarded to 1,000 players.

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