October 31st is upon us, as everyone gets ready to dress up in costumes and have some fun. Unfortunately for some would-be party-goers, police in the Shibuya Ward are cracking down hard on any costume-wearing fun. They’re banning all events and large gatherings. Shibuya Halloween has been canceled!
Halloween in Shibuya is Cancelled! Why Can’t We Just Have Fun?
For a week, signs have been up in the Shibuya area warning both would-be Japanese partiers as well as foreign tourists that costumed events and gatherings would not be permitted. Many businesses in Shibuya also opted to close, likely with encouragement from police and authorities, to keep crowds from gathering. So if you wanted to get coffee at the Starbucks at the iconic “Shibuya Scramble” intersection, you’ll be disappointed.
Police are so serious about keeping crowds away from Shibuya this Halloween, that they’ve even blocked off the famous statue of loyal dog Hachiko.
Of course, it’s not surprising to see why the government is taking these measures. Not after the tragedy of the Seoul Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon just a year ago, when 159 young people were crushed to death. That tragedy was partially due to post-COVID over-excitement combined with poor city planning, with two busy walkways merging into a single route. The media criticized the police for not proactively managing the situation ahead of time.
How Can Japan Save Halloween?
Over the past decade, Halloween has exploded in popularity in Japan, with thousands of cosplayers showing off their crazy costumes to each other. Things came to a head in 2018 when the crowds reached riot levels, and drunk partiers overturned a police car. And yet, even in an insane situation like that, a citizen will return a lost wallet to the police. Japan is such a great country.
How can Japan maintain the fun that Halloween has become and keep people safe at the same time? Rather than trying to block all crowds, it would be better if the city embraced Halloween cosplay, but spread out around different areas. In the same way that different parts of Tokyo have festivals, they could host some smaller events in large areas, asking only people from that part of the city to come. Otherwise a new area might become a central Mecca for cosplayers, and cause new problems.
For my part, I’m going to put on my Host Club Boba Fett costume and go hang out in Shimo-Kitazawa or Kabuki-cho with a friend.
Thanks for reading this blog post about Shibuya Halloween 2023. Please have a safe and fun Halloween, and if you haven’t done it yet, make an order from J-List before our sale ends!
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Halloween is here, and we’ve got great news for everyone: the J-List Halloween sale! You get $20 off shipping-from-Japan orders of $100 or more using code HALLOWEEN23! And best of all, you get a cool limited Megumi Halloween sticker with orders (while they last). Start shopping now!
