Justin and I are huge fans of Japan’s manhole covers. From Pokemon (Poké Lids) to city’s decorated sewage covers, we would have never thought looking down on the ground to find manhole covers would be an exciting part of our Japan travels.
In Tokyo’s Minato Ward, there are five Sailor Moon manhole covers. These were installed in March 2024.
Sailor Moon is one of the most influential magic girl anime and manga from the 1990s. The anime takes me back to my childhood as I avidly watched Usagi Tsukino, the main character, and her friends, Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino, Makoto Kino, and Minako Aino, come together as the Sailor Guardians and protect the world from evil. They live in Minato City in the real-life Azabu Juban neighborhood.
We decided to create our own Sailor Moon cover walking route.
Since we got lost a few times and had to backtrack for 30 minutes for a missing one, we’ll share our recommended walking route to find the Sailor Moon manholes. We’ll also include attractions that you can visit along the way.
The entire route took 2+ hours of walking. But we’ve included the nearest train station if you want to reduce the time between locations.
Note: The trains are with different operators, so use a Suica, Pasmo, or any IC transportation card. We have an ICOCA card, distributed by JR West in Osaka/Kyoto area.
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Map
Here is the walking route that we created. Click here to see a larger view on Google Maps.
Click on the image to see a larger view of the route. Credit: Map data: Google
Recommended Walking Path to Find Sailor Moon Manhole Covers & Local Attractions
Stop 1: Minatokukanko Information Center 港区観光インフォメーションセンター at Fudanotsuji Square
Distance from Tamachi Station to Minato Information Center: 450 meters (0.28 miles)
Nearest Train Station: Tamachi Station
This is not a manhole cover location. But it’s the perfect starting point to visit the Minato Ward Tourist Information Center on the 1st floor and pick up a free Sailor Moon collectible manhole cover card.
We love manhole cards and wrote a blog post on how to collect them here.
These Sailor Moon manhole cards run out fast, so check out this site for updates on distribution. We were lucky that they had a new shipment in mid-October 2024. Two men picked up the cards at the same time as us.
You can also pick up a pamphlet of the Sailor Moon manhole cover locations. The pamphlet is in Japanese, so use Google Translate. Here is a PDF version if you want to see it ahead of time.
Since this is an Information Center, you can ask questions about the area.
Stop 2: Keio Nakadori Shopping Street 慶応仲通り商店街
Distance from Minato Information Center to Keio Nakadori: 750 meters (0.47 miles)
Nearest Train Station: Mita Station or Tamachi Station
This is the yellow manhole cover at the Keio Nakadori Shopping Street entrance
Located under the Keio Nakadori Shopping sign, this is a yellow manhole cover of the Sailor Guardians. Sailor Venus (Minako Aino) embodies the yellow color with her blond hair and yellow Sailor Guardian outfit, so this cover is dedicated to her.
As background history, the manga author, Naoko Takeuchi, created “Code Name is Sailor V” before “Sailor Moon” was published. If you’ve seen the anime, Sailor V has her own TV show.
Stop 3: Azabu Hikawa Shrine 麻布氷川神社
Distance from Keio Nakadori Shopping Street to Azabu Hikawa Shrine: 2 km (1.24 miles)
Nearest Train Station: Azabu-Juban or Akabanebashi Station
Note: Getting to the shrine requires some walking up a hill. Take your time and walk slowly.
Azabu Hikawa Shrine
Rei Hino is the shrine maiden of Hikawa Shrine in Sailor Moon, so Azabu Hikawa Shrine is based on where Rei lives.
Located in the middle of a residential area, this small, quiet shrine has a small area for praying. You can also get a goshuin, a red stamp with calligraphy of shrines and temples visited.
Azabu Hikawa Shrine
We visited this shrine when the rain just stopped so we didn’t see anyone on-site. As we walked closer to the area for selling charms, we saw a few Rei figurines on the windowsill. Otherwise, it was a quick stop for a couple of minutes.
Stop 4: Azabu-Juban Station
Distance from Azabu Hikawa Shrine to Azabu Juban Station: 800 meters (0.50 miles)
Nearest Train Station: Azabu Juban Station
This is one of the Sailor Moon manhole covers that is located next to the Azabu-Juban Station
We’re headed to see the Sailor Moon (Usagi Tsukino), Tuxedo Mask (Mamoru Chiba), and Luna (the cat) manhole cover at the Azabujuban Shotengai Shopping Street 麻布十番商店街.
The information is incorrect as the manhole cover is at the entrance of Azabu Juban Station (near a Family Mart). We went around in circles in the shopping street trying to find this cover.
The exact location is here on Google Maps.
Remember the Sailor Moon manhole cover card? The card has the GPS coordinates in the lower left corner.
We took a photo of the collectible card and the cover together.
We love collecting manhole cards, and this one highlights the Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask, and Luna manhole cover in the Minato ward.
The Azabu Juban Shopping area is where Usagi and Mamoru meet for the first time in the present day. (They don’t know about their previous life yet.) The author visited this street many times, so the stores appeared in the manga and anime.
Stop 5: Toyo Eiwa Girls’ School Elementary School 東洋英和女学院小学部
Distance from Azabu Juban Station to Toya Eiwa Girls School: 800 meters (0.50 miles)
Nearest Train Station: Azabu Juban or Roppongi Station
Here is the red manhole cover of the main character, Usagi, and her friends
We’re in the heart of the Roppongi area as we’re off to see the red manhole cover. It’s located at the entrance of the Toya Eiwa Girls School gate entrance.
This school is the inspiration for Rei Hino’s T.A. Girls School. Rei did not go to the same school as Usagi and Ami.
Rei embodies the red color due to her use of fire powers and Sailor Mars outfit. She also has a spicy personality and tends to argue with Usagi often.
I love this manhole cover design since the girls are cheerful and dressed in kimonos. The falling cherry blossom petals give the design a festive springtime touch.
Stop 6: Shiba Water Supply Station Park 芝給水所公園
Distance from Toya Eiwa Girls School to Shiba Water Supply Station: 1.4 km (0.87 miles)
Nearest Train Station: Kamiyacho Station
This is the green manhole cover across from Shiba Water Supply Station Park
The next manhole cover is located between the Shiba Water Supply Station Park and the Netherlands Embassy. Across from the manhole cover is a grassy field for sports and outdoor activities.
The design of this cover is green and has five Sailor Guardians on it.
Since Sailor Jupiter (Makoto Kino) is the most sporty one in the group and wears a green outfit, this green cover represents her.
This is another view of the green manhole cover
Note: Tokyo Tower is 350 meters (0.21 miles) away from this manhole cover. So, you can visit Tokyo Tower and head to the observatory level for a 360-degree view of the city.
Stop 7: Minato City Minato Public Library 港区立みなと図書館
Distance from Shiba Water Supply Station to Minato Public Library: 550 meters (0.31 miles)
Nearest Train Station: Onarimon Station
This is the blue manhole cover of the Sailor Guardians
Located at the entrance of the Minato City Public Library, this is a blue manhole cover of the Sailor Guardians. You’ll see everyone wearing their colored Sailor outfits.
The history behind this design and location is that the Minako Aino (Sailor Venus) goes to school at Shiba Park Junior High, and this cover is near Shiba Park in real life.
The blue color matches Ami Mizuno, who wears a blue Sailor outfit. She is the studious one in the group, so the library location fits her personality.
Final Thoughts
Whew! You’re finally done with this walk around Minato Ward to see the Sailor Moon manhole covers. We hope you enjoyed seeing the designs on foot and experiencing a unique activity in Tokyo.
Afterward, you’re welcome to visit other popular attractions nearby such as the teamLab Borderless, Tokyo Tower, or Roppongi Hills Observation Deck. We visited the Fujifilm Photo History Museum in Roppongi and loved the collection of retro cameras.
If you need inspiration on what to do in Tokyo, here our other blog posts we’ve written:
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