A western Japanese city known as the birthplace of instant noodles is displaying manhole covers featuring Hiyoko-chan, the mascot of instant noodle Chicken Ramen, in front of the city's popular cup noodles museum.
The Ikeda city government in Osaka Prefecture created four kinds of 60-centimeter manhole lids representing the four seasons -- cherry blossoms for spring, fireworks for summer, autumn leaves for the fall and snow for winter -- with Hiyoko-chan placed in the center.
Hiyoko-chan, a popular character of one of the mainstay noodles produced by Nissin Foods Holdings Co., is also a "tourism ambassador" of the city.
The manhole covers were produced to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the city's incorporation as a municipality and to promote the ninth Manhole Summit slated for Oct. 19 in the city.
Manhole cover exhibitions have been gaining popularity recently, attracting street art enthusiasts called "manholers."
In the city, Nissin Foods founder Momofuku Ando invented Chicken Ramen, the world's first instant noodle product, in 1958 in a shed he built in his backyard.
The Cupnoodles Museum Osaka Ikeda attracts around 910,000 visitors annually from across Japan and overseas.
(Undated photo shows manhole covers featuring Hiyoko-chan, the mascot of instant noodle Chicken Ramen.)
[Photo courtesy of Ikeda city]
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