Art can be found underfoot all over Japan -- in the form of manhole covers with elaborate designs. Ordinary people enjoy fortuitously spotting them, while enthusiasts make a point of seeking them out. There are even manhole cover trading cards.
Now, the Tokyo metropolitan government is looking to capitalize on the phenomenon by starting a stamp rally focusing on manhole covers that depict characters from Japanese pop culture.
Traditionally, a stamp rally is an activity in which people visit a series of places where they can find rubber stamps and ink pads they can use to make an impression in a notebook or other paper that they carry with them. The stamps can be collected just for fun, or to earn prizes.
These days there are also digital stamp rallies in which people use their smartphones to collect virtual stamps. The Tokyo manhole cover stamp rally, which runs through May 11, is the digital kind. It aims to attract attention the metropolitan government's work with local governments to install more manhole covers with creative designs.
"We hope to create new forms of tourism with this project," a metropolitan government official said.
The rally includes manholes at 42 locations in 18 of Tokyo's wards and cities. After using their smartphones to register in Japanese or English on the official website, participants can earn a digital stamp when they go near one of the highlighted manholes.
A total of 3,300 people chosen by lottery, depending on the number of stamps they collect, will win figurines and coasters with the manhole designs.
Each one of the 42 locations has a different design. In Ochanomizu in Chiyoda Ward, there are three featuring characters from the manga and anime "Tetsuwan Atom," known as "Astro Boy" in English. These are Astro Boy himself, as well as Uran and -- fittingly in light of the location -- Dr. Ochanomizu.
Manhole covers with characters from the Ultraman series, including Ultraman and Alien Baltan, were installed near Soshigayaokura Station on the Odakyu Line in Setagaya Ward, where the series's creator, Tsuburaya Productions, used to have its office.
Relatively recent popular manga series are also showcased. Covers that feature characters from "March Comes in Like a Lion," a manga about the game of shogi, can be found in Shibuya Ward's Sendagaya district where the Shogi Kaikan hall is located.
"In addition to anime buffs and shogi fans, if manhole enthusiasts can also come to stroll around our shopping streets, that can revive the whole area," said Chiharu Okazaki, 52, a senior member of the Sendagaya Odori shopping district's promotion association.
Hideto Yamada, 44, one of the people who contributed to making manhole cards popular, has been actively promoting the attractions of these decorated covers.
"Combining the manholes that everyone sees on a daily basis with the anime culture that Japan is proud of will definitely attract more visitors from not only Japan but also from overseas," Yamada said.
To register for the digital stamp rally, you can visit https://webcp.jp/tokyo-manhole/ on your smartphone.
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