Halloween in Japan has become one of the country’s biggest celebrations over the last 10 years. Japan is famous for taking Western holidays and putting their own spin on them. (Have you ever experienced Christmas or Valentine’s Day in Japan?) However, rather than for preserving old traditions, these holidays simply exist to entertain – and make a few bucks, of course.
History of Halloween in Japan
Halloween was originally an immigrant’s holiday. Japan already had its own festival to honor the dead with O-bon, so they didn’t necessarily import it for its traditions. Like many other foreign holidays in Japan, it was more of a calculated business move.
In 2000, Disney held their first Halloween Parade, and Universal Studios Japan followed suit in 2002. Gradually, more and more people were succumbing to the spook. Click To TweetOnly the parts that could sell made it to Japan: costumes and partying! (Sorry trick-or-treaters! Knocking on strangers’ doors for candy is a no-no in Japan.) Considering Japan’s love for cosplay, its no wonder. You’ll also have trouble finding large’, tasteless orange pumpkins for carving. (Japanese pumpkins are nothing like those in the States!)
The first official introduction of Halloween in Japan was as a promotional event for Kiddy Land, a shop in Harajuku. Originally aimed at foreign customers, these promotions became an annual thing throughout the 80s. In 1983, they held their first Hello Halloween Pumpkin Parade in Omotesando.
In 1997, Kawasaki City jumped on the bandwagon with their Kawasaki Halloween Parade, the same year Tokyo Disney held their own first Halloween event. Both events were big hits. In 2000, Disney held their first Halloween Parade, and Universal Studios Japan followed suit in 2002. Gradually, more and more people were succumbing to the spook.
Celebrating Halloween in Japan
I was surprised to learn that there was no organizer and no official event for Shibuya's Halloween bash. It was spread by pure word of mouth – and social media. Click To TweetIn the early stages, most participants were still foreigners. They would gather their friends, dress up in costumes, and go out for drinks. But once the theme parks got involved, the general Japanese population really caught on.
Disney and Universal Studios encouraged visitors to wear their best costumes to their parks. For anime and cosplay aficionados, this was the perfect opportunity to dress up and walk around as their favorite characters.
Eventually, people started taking it to the streets (as immigrants had already been doing with no hesitation). People who couldn’t take the day off to visit a theme park could easily celebrate right after work with a few drinks and a night on the town. Shibuya was already a hotspot for young people, partygoers, and the like. It was only natural that Shibuya would become the hippest Halloween hotspot as well.
How Shibuya Became Halloween Headquarters
It’s hard to pin down exactly when the Halloween in Shibuya trend started but it was sometime around 2010. I remember joining in myself that year (2013 was also my first Halloween in Japan) on a word-of-mouth invite from a friend. We visited the Don Quijote several days before in search of costumes and face paint. On the day of, we hung out around the scramble, took a ton of snapshots, and went drinking afterward.
In every way, it reminded me of New York’s own Village Halloween Parade, a huge annual Halloween celebration held in my hometown of New York city. Yet despite the huge turnout, I was surprised to learn that there was no organizer, and no official event. It was spread by pure word of mouth – and social media. Many attributed the explosive popularity surge to fans of Japan’s national soccer team making a big deal about it on their Twitter and Facebook pages. Soon, everyone else wanted to go out, buy costumes, and share their own spooky snaps.
A Monstrous Mess
Today, Shibuya is Japan’s Halloween central. The event attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year (and reached as much as 1,000,000 last year!) However, with so many people in one place, there is also bound to be disorder.
In recent years, not only has the number of visitors has grown, but the number of complaints has, too. From traffic violations to noise pollution, and street brawls to vandalism, disruptions have unfortunately become just another part of the celebration. (Not to mention the tons of trash left behind!) Shibuya City officials cracked down in 2018 by banning public drinking and alcohol sales in the vicinity on Halloween day.
And it’s not just a bunch of grumpy old party-poopers complaining. Harajuku’s own queen of kawaii, pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, vented about it on Twitter last year, drawing tons of support from fans all over the world.
“I had to go through Shibuya on my way home when I saw all the young people. Was Halloween always this chaotic? People revving their motorcycle engines, blasting EDM, it’s so lame. Go to a club!! Jus’ sayin!!!”
Remember, Halloween in Shibuya is a crowded event with thousands upon thousands of rowdy teenagers and adults, so you may not want to bring small children. Also keep in mind, if driving through the area, traffic will be outrageous.
Celebrating Halloween in Japan in 2020
The good news is, you can bypass the chaos (and COVID) this year by joining the festivities online! Shibuya Ward will host the 2020 Virtual Shibuya Halloween Festival from October 26-31. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu herself will be joining for live performances, along with several other artists! See their official website for more (available in JPN and ENG).
