Over 4 million views in 2 weeks after posting on SNS! A video of the nation’s first “Gundam Manhole” x overlapping stamp rally in Bisei-cho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture has become a hot topic.

Over 4 million views in 2 weeks after posting on SNS! A video of the nation’s first “Gundam Manhole” x overlapping stamp rally in Bisei-cho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture has become a hot topic. ​ Bisei Town Tourism Association Press release: March 24, 2025 Over 4 million views in 2 weeks after posting on SNS! A video of the nation’s first “Gundam Manhole” x overlapping stamp rally in Bisei-cho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture has become a hot topic. The Instagram that was released on March 7th received a huge response. Think of the beautiful universe of the Gundam world from a town designated as a starry sky reserve.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/61169/3/61169-3-1712ea4dbcb5f4bc9d81b9279dc5c888-1165×2138.jpg Bisei Town Tourism Association Instagram Reel Video The Bisei Town Tourism Association (address: 1055 Miyama, Bisei-cho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture), located in Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture, posted a video on SNS such as Instagram in early March during the stamp rally of overlapping stamps of the “Gundam Manhole” design that is currently being held. In total, it received over 4 million views in two weeks after its release. We’ve received a lot of feedback from people who say it’s cool and want to try it. Instagram YouTube TikTok Overview of “Gundam Manhole” design stamp rally The “Gundam Manhole” design stamp rally will be the first of its kind in Japan. In response to the Gundam Manhole Project’s donation of Gundam Manholes to Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture, the Bisei Town Tourism Association planned this project to boost tourism in the town. Requested Shachihata Co., Ltd. to produce overlapping stamps. Star rallies have been held since November 2020. Six stamps will be installed at five locations in Bisei Town ・Bisei Astronomical Observatory (2 types of stamps, admission fee required: 300 yen)・Medieval Yumegahara・Hoshi no Sato Aozora Market ・Hoshi no Sato Tourist Information Center・Café Ile Patata (inside Hoshizora Pension Comet) The mounts are sold for 200 yen each. There is no pressing order and you can start from anywhere. As a completion bonus, Gundam manhole straps will be discounted by 100 yen. Enjoy the process of making a Gundam manhole just like a print. View details ​ Impact of great response on SNS After posting the video on multiple SNS in early March 2020, we received a total of over 4 million views in two weeks. Many people commented that this was the first time they learned about the existence of Bisei Town, Gundam Manhole, and Overprint Stamp Rally, making this a great opportunity for people who didn’t know about Bisei Town to learn about it. In addition, an increasing number of people are actually visiting Bisei Town for the stamp rally. (The number of mounts sold increased by 800% compared to the same period last month)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/61169/3/61169-3-72f3a3b825fdeb61aca66b3bff9d7d3b-2194×2925.jpg Stamp rally mount What kind of town is Bisei?
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/61169/3/61169-3-3ec754eda51d1bfe128e1fdbb6fcea63-800×290.jpg Provided by: Bisei Observatory Bisei Town, known as “a town where you can see beautiful stars,” is said to have had a deep belief in Hokushin (the north star as a god) since ancient times, and there is also a legend that a shooting star split into three parts in the air and fell in the Jokyu era of the early Kamakura period (Hoshio Furushin Legend), so it is a town that has a deep connection with stars. In the field of astronomical observation, the value of the starry skies in Bisei Town has long been recognized, and the climate in the southwestern part of Okayama Prefecture is suitable for astronomical observation, and the high quality of the stars has attracted attention, with world-renowned amateur astronomers often making observations in Bisei Town. On November 22, 1989, Japan’s first “Bisei Town Light Pollution Prevention Ordinance to Protect the Beautiful Starry Sky” was enacted. On July 7, 1993, Bisei
Astronomical Observatory, one of Japan’s leading public observatories and a symbolic facility of Bisei Town, opened. In May 2002, the Bisei Space Guard Center (currently under the jurisdiction of JAXA), which conducts observations of space debris and asteroids that may come close to the Earth, opened, and the city established itself as a “city where you can see beautiful stars” in both name and reality. In recent years, we have been working to improve the outdoor lighting environment in the town and reviewing the light pollution prevention ordinance, and on November 1, 2021, we were certified by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) as part of the “Community Category” of the “Starry Sky Sanctuary (R),” which is known as a starry sky version of a World Heritage Site. This is the third such recognition in Japan after Iriomote Ishigaki National Park in Okinawa Prefecture and Kozushima in Tokyo, and the first in Asia to receive this recognition in the community category. Certification as a Starry Sky Reserve (R) is only a passing point. We will continue to work on protecting the beautiful starry skies and creating a sustainable town that takes advantage of the starry sky environment. Why is there a Gundam in Ibara City? The Gundam Manhole Project, planned by the Bandai Namco Group’s Gundam Project, is collaborating with local governments across the country to install manholes with original designs from Mobile Suit Gundam as an effort to revitalize the country and create bonds with Gundam fans across generations. Ibara City applied for the project and received two types of manholes donated in April 2020.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/61169/3/61169-3-ce7b46c20d382a1a5437c96fb2b641fc-300×172.jpg Two types of manholes donated to Ibara City In July 2020, a manhole created in collaboration between one of them, the “R ◇Installation location: In front of Bisei Observatory (1723-70 Okura, Bisei-cho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture) r> Bisei Observatory, where the beautiful starry sky and silver dome of Bisei Town, which has been certified as a “Starry Sky Reserve (R)” which is called a world heritage site for starry skies, and the mobile suit “Gundam” that appears in “Mobile Suit Gundam” are designed. It’s a cool futuristic design.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/61169/3/61169-3-d7330667207a8ca785abf1ce746f8177-1170×1996.jpg Bisei Observatory and Gundam Manhole [Contact information] Bisei Town Tourism Association Secretariat 〒714-1406 1055 Miyama, Bisei-cho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture Ibara City Hall Bisei Branch
0866-87-3113