Rocky Start, but Gaining Popularity
Halloween in Japan is a relatively new concept. Most places didn’t truly start celebrating it until about a decade ago. Before it came into the mainstream, it was mainly celebrated by ex-pats. According to Brian Ashcraft at Kotaku, It wasn’t until 2012 that “Halloween had caught on in Japan, with parades and events held all across the country”. Before then, the holiday was mostly ignored or seen as an annoyance. And with good reason, as those who did celebrate took the holiday as an excuse to get dressed up, drink too much, and wonder around downtown or on trains. Which became an odd tradition as “Halloween train” events started to pop up as far back as the 1990s.
These “Halloween train” events caused quite a stir when people getting off a long day at work would enter trains that were filled with loud, intoxicated and mostly foreign people who were all dressed in weird costumes. You can see why this might be annoying, especially if you aren’t at all familiar with Halloween. The annoyance eventually led to protests in 2009 with people in Shibuya station telling foreigners to go home and that Japan doesn’t need Halloween.
No Door-to-Door Trick-or-Treating
Door-to-door trick-or-treating, a staple of the typical western-style Halloween, is one aspect of the holiday that has not caught on in Japan. This is mainly because, in Japanese culture, people are averse to bothering others or causing them trouble. Therefore, going to someone’s house and knocking on their door for candy feels like you are inconveniencing that person. While door-to-door trick-or-treating isn’t popular, community events to get candy are becoming more common.
Parades and Halloween Walks with Stamp Rallies
The much more common way Japan celebrates Halloween is by hosting parades and/or Halloween walks where kids can dress up and go to designated locations around town to get candy . Halloween walks fit well in Japan because they are similar to stamp rallies where you go around to different locations and collect stamps. Normally, you can also win a prize if you collect a certain number of stamps. Most places seem to be combining the two and have kids collect stamps and get candy at each designated location.
Costumes and Cosplaying
Partying and dressing up in costumes is by far the most popular aspect of Halloween for the Japanese people. Young adults especially enjoy the chance to cosplay. However, just like how going to someone’s house to trick-or-treat isn’t popular, having a house party is also not as common. Instead, street parties have become a new tradition. Shibuya or Roppongi are both locations that commonly host events for these big street parties every year.
In 2018, party goers got a bit too wild when they overturned a truck in Shibuya. Now in 2019, Shibuya has banned public drinking in an attempt to keep things a little calmer. It will be interesting to see how this year’s celebrations turn out.
Yakuza Participation
Interestingly enough, the Yakuza (Japan’s mafia) has taken to celebrating Halloween by hosting parties and inviting locals. The groups hand out candy and snacks to children and have been doing so for the last couple years. According to the Julian Ryall at the Telegraph, the city of Kobe has warned the children not to go to the Halloween party organized by the Yamaguchi-gumi, for fears of it being a recruiting event for the group.
More Fun Less Scary
When compared to western-style Halloween, Japan’s Halloween costumes tend to be more fun than scary. This is because the summer season is where Japan has its own traditions for ghosts and scary stories. In fact, August is the peak ghost season as it is the month of the Buddhist Obon festival. This is the time when people honor the dead. It is believed that their ancestors’ spirits return home to reunite and celebrate with their families. Thus, Halloween has yet to become the holiday for celebrating “all-things-spooky” and is seen as a more of a fun holiday, rather than a scary one.
