Sailor Moon’s real-world home neighborhood wants to help visiting fans feel extra welcome.
A lot of travelers who come to Tokyo never set foot inside the Minato Ward Tourism Information Center (seen in the above photo). Much of Minato is made up of office districts, and aside from Tokyo Tower, which is already covered pretty adequately by just about any Tokyo guidebook or website, most of Minato’s other attractions, like the shops, restaurants, and clubs of Roppongi and Akasaka, already have their own websites that interested potential visitors can check.
But there is a very compelling reason to stop by the Minato Ward Tourism Information Center right now, which is that they’re giving out exclusive Sailor Moon art coasters, and for free.
If the combination of “Sailor Moon” and “Minato Ward” rings a bell, there are two possible reasons. One is that the landmark magical girl anime/manga franchise is set in the real-world neighborhood of Azabu Jubun, which is located inside Minato. The other is that five Sailor Moon art manhole covers were recently installed in Minato, featuring the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Mask, in locations with special significance to the series’ story.
Much like with the Pokémon manhole covers in Yokohama, the hope is that this unique public art project will bring fans of the franchise out to explore the neighborhood. So to help them find the Sailor Moon sites, the Minato Ward Tourism Information Center has free maps of the area with the manhole cover locations marked. In addition, if you fill out a questionnaire with some basic questions about where you’re from and what you want to see while you’re in town, you’ll be given a complimentary Sailor Moon manhole cover art coaster.
Though it’s made out of paper instead of wrought iron, it’s still of nice quality, with Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask, and mentor cat Luna on one side, and the other four manhole cover designs on the other.
The Minato Ward Tourism Information Center is located just a block away from Tamachi Station, so it’s easy to swing by even if you don’t have time to do the full manhole cover circuit right away. Don’t wait too long, though, because the staff tells us that quantities are limited and going fast.
Location information
Minato Ward Tourism Information Center / 港区観光インフォメーションセンター
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Shiba 4-36-4
東京都港区芝５丁目３６−４
Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Website
Coaster reverse image: PR Times
All other photos ©SoraNews24
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