By YUICHIRO YONEDA/ Staff Writer
December 16, 2021 at 08:00 JST
A manhole cover in Nagasaki featuring Sakamichi Onoda, the protagonist of “Yowamushi Pedal” (Yuichiro Yoneda)
NAGASAKI--Fans of “Yowamushi Pedal” can now have fun cycling around this southern city’s many slopes to see how many manhole covers they can find that feature characters from the bicycle racing manga series.
The city government solicited ideas from the public to revitalize its communities and selected a manhole cover project proposed by a sixth-grader.
Wataru Watanabe, the author of the manga series, is a native of Nagasaki.
Nine covers have been installed since November, including one showing Sakamichi Onoda, the story’s protagonist, giving a high five against the backdrop of Nagasaki Port.
Plans call for installing 27 varieties on the city's streets by March 2022.
Their locations remain hidden from the public so fans can enjoy finding them on their own.
At least one fan raced around the city and found all nine varieties in two days, prompting a local official to comment, “Please put safety first on the road.”
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