The series, a collaboration between MLB and Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo, aims to honour both the players and the local communities which shaped them and will be installed this month at various locations across Japan.

Manhole covers are a big deal in the country and generate considerable civic pride, being a unique mix of urban infrastructure and artistic endeavour.

Typically, the cast-iron disks are adorned with colourful depictions of Japanese life, featuring everything from fire engines and Pokémon characters, to local landmarks, flowers and famous people.

Now it’s the turn of the handful of Japanese baseball players, currently playing for a range of teams in the US, to be honoured with a manhole cover in their home nation. The MLB worked closely with each player’s hometown to trace their journey to some of America’s best baseball teams.

Each of the manhole covers has been designed by a different artist and captures the individual players’ characteristics and playing style, according to MLB. The covers will be placed in a location of personal significance to the player: their hometown, their school, or even the local field where they first learned to play.

MLB says that each manhole will also generate exclusive, on-site content via a series of short AR films that chart the players’ stories and which can be viewed on a mobile by scanning the covers. Additional editorial content will also be available online, providing further insight into the players’ journeys.

The first manhole covers were unveiled on June 16 across the Iwate prefecture and featured Shohei Ohtani (in Oshu), Yusei Kikuchi (Morioka) and Roki Sasaki (Rikuzentakata).

The other nine players to be honoured by the project are Yu Darvish, Yuki Matsui, Shota Imanaga, Lars Nootbaar, Seiya Suzuki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Masataka Yoshida, Kodai Senga and Tomoyuki Sugano.

According to MLB, launch venues are currently being unveiled via MLB’s Japanese Instagram account @mlbjapan.

wktokyo.com