So what’s the story behind these new Pokemon manhole covers? They have been showing up since around summer 2019, and according to the project’s website, they’re called “Poke Lids.” The reason that they are suddenly beginning to appear across Japan is that Digletts around the country have been tunnelling and leaving huge holes! Of course, these holes have to be covered up for everyone’s safety. In order to differentiate between manholes created by humans and those created by Pokemon, the Diglett holes are being covered with Poke Lids!

This may sound like a farfetch’d tale to you, but we took it right from the Poke Lid website! And since Japan is the birthplace of Pokemon, it stands to reason that there might well be wild Digletts there tunnelling around under everyone’s feet. It’s certainly a lot more fun to believe that, anyway!

The Pokemon that have been chosen for the regions in Japan are not at all random. Just like the usual manhole covers that display something unique and special about that region or city in Japan, the Poke Lids are doing the same thing. For example, Miyagi Prefecture is most famous for its dinosaur museum and the large number of fossils that have been found there. The Poke Lids in Miyagi are all the prehistoric Pokemon like Aerodactyl, Tyrunt, and Omanyte. Hokkaido is famous for its beautiful snowscapes, and its Poke Lids feature the snowy version of Vulpix and Ninetails. And the newest region of Japan to get a Poke Lid makeover is Tottori Prefecture, famous for its sand dunes. So what Pokemon did they get on their manhole covers? You guessed it - Sandshrew and Sandslash!

Poke Lids are a relatively new project slowly spreading across Japan, and you can keep track of them via their website here - https://local.pokemon.jp/en/manhole/ . Not only are there photos of all of the current Poke Lids on the website, but there’s also the exact location of each one. If you want to be a real-life Pokemon hunter and see them all, this is your best resource for finding them.