Five new reasons for Pokémon fans to head north from Tokyo.
Fall is a fantastic time to take a trip to Gunma Prefecture. Located about two hours north of Tokyo, Gunma gets some beautiful autumn foliage and it also boasts some of east Japan’s finest hot springs, making for a great combo of crisp afternoon walks followed by a rejuvenatingly warm soak.
As of this fall, there’s one more reason to head to Gunma. Well, five actually, as the prefecture is getting five new Pokémon manhole covers!
The Pokéfuta/Poké Lids project is a series of artistic one-of-a-kind manhole covers highlighting local communities, helping to draw visitors to lesser-known but still charming parts of Japan. The covers all feature Pocket Monster species and local scenery or representative products such as produce or handicrafts. For example, the Gunma town of Shimonita takes great pride in the quality of the green onions that its farmers grow, so naturally its Pokéfuta, installed in front of the Coconita building next to Shimonita Station, features Farfetch’d, Galarian Farfetch’d, and Sirfetch’d.
Boltund naturally feels at home playing in front of Yamba Dam, a towering hydroelectric facility in the town of Naganohara. Joining the Electric-type on this cover, which will be at the Yamba Furusato-kan michi no eki (“road station” local products shop) are Meltan and Seaking, creating further tie-ins with the water/engineering theme.
Zigzagoon, in both standard and Galarian forms, appears on the Pokéfuta for the Tsutsujigaoka Fureai Center, located inside Tsutsujigaoka Park in the town of Tatebayashi. This one might actually be best to wait until spring to visit, as tsutsuji is the Japanese word for azalea, and the park contains some 10,000 bushes on which the seasonal flowers bloom.
Dunsparce and Shiftry can be seen hanging out on their manhole cover at the entrance to the hiking trail that leads to Fukiware Falls in the town of Numata, placed next to the parking area that hikers can use. Shiftry is here because his design is based on the tengu (crow spirits) of Japanese folklore, who are often depicted using giant leaves or fans to create strong gusts of wind. Tengu are prominently featured in the folklore surrounding Numata’s Miroku Temple on Mt. Kasho, which claims to have the largest tengu mask in all of Japan.
And finally, as you board or exit the Shibukawa Ikaho Ropeway at Hototogisu Station in the town of Shibukawa, you’ll be able to say hi to Zapdos, who, being a Flying-type Pokémon, can enjoy expansive views and mountain scenery without having to ride one of the ropeway’s gondolas.
▼ The Pokéfuta locations within Gunma Prefecture
All five new Pokémon manhole covers are scheduled to be installed by the end of November.
Source: Gunma Prefecture, Jiji
Images: Gunma Prefecture
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