'A Place Further than the Universe' maintenance hole covers unveiled in Japan's Tatebayashi

TATEBAYASHI, Gunma - Three maintenance hole covers, featuring characters from the popular TV anime "A Place Further than the Universe," have been unveiled at the city's Tsutsujigaoka Fureai Center. These covers will be on display until early November before being installed in various locations across Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture.

The city created these covers as part of a community revitalization initiative. Two designs showcase the anime's four main characters in pairs, while a third design displays all four together. Each cover measures 60 centimeters in diameter and weighs approximately 20 kilograms. The background of each cover features recognizable landmarks such as Tatebayashi Station, Morinji temple, and Tsutsujigaoka Park.

The anime, which aired in 2018, follows four high school girls who embark on a journey to Antarctica, with one of them seeking to find her missing mother. "A Place Further than the Universe" has been featured on the list of Japan's 88-Spots for eight consecutive years, making it the only anime associated with Gunma Prefecture to achieve this distinction. A local official expressed hope that these maintenance hole covers could become a new tourism resource, attracting more visitors to the city.