Interest

The Shibuya Ward Mayor All But Banned Halloween This Year, But Did It Work?

The Shibuya Ward mayor tried to keep the Halloween 2023 party out of his ward. But was he successful? All signs point to “maybe?”

Halloween time in the greater Tokyo Metropolitan area can get hectic. From the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Fes, the Yoaki "Ki" Halloween in Asakusa, to the all too familiar unofficial Shibuya Halloween. Unfortunately, this year the Shibuya Ward mayor, Akira Nagatsuma, strongly suggested (although banned is a more apt term) people not gather in Shibuya for Halloween. The question is, did people heed Mr. Nagatsuma's ban?

The ban initially stemmed from the mayor speculating the influx of people to Shibuya on Halloween would cause a similar incident to what happened in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood in 2022. Stating, “I am extremely concerned an accident similar to the one in Seoul, South Korea, last year could occur [in Shibuya]. Please do not come to Shibuya Station and the surrounding area for the purpose of celebrating Halloween." However, the major issue is Shibuya is a well- known tourist location as well as place for youth to congregate. So, trying to stop people from coming seemed like a futile effort.

But this may not have necessarily been the case. According to both NHK and Business Insider Japan, despite the area having high foot traffic on October 31, the number of people there in costume was low. In fact, Business Insider noted that while around 8:00 p.m. there were people dressed up, by 9:00 p.m. the police increased their presence to keep the flow of foot traffic moving.

That's not to say there weren't any issues in Shibuya around Halloween. Friday Digital reported a case of police handling an unruly drunk man. They report the incident occurred around 2:00 a.m. on October 29. And while not on Halloween, it's clear the police were preparing for any sort of incident that might occur on Halloween night.

This begs the question: where did everyone go? This is only speculation, but considering all the Halloween events going on around Tokyo at the time and considering Halloween landed on a weekday, it's quite possible people were already partied out. For instance, the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Fes 2023 ran for two days on October 28 and 29. The event saw 141,000 people attend with over 400 cosplays over the two days. And the Yakai "Ki" Halloween in Asakusa on October 28 was itself a massive party. So, there were other options for Halloween events for people of all ages happening throughout Tokyo.

In a sense mayor Akira Nagatsuma got his wish. Less people showed up to Shibuya on Halloween 2023 than in previous years. But there were still people there in costumes ready to party. Yet, with all the other Halloween events going on in Tokyo leading up October 31, and the holiday landing on a weekday, one must wonder if that influenced the turnout on top of the ban. Nonetheless, Nagatsuma should consider embracing Halloween in 2024 and begin planning some sort of official Shibuya Halloween event. Because, if there's one thing people, especially young people, want to do on Halloween, it's party.

Sources: NHK (link 2), Business Insider Japan, Friday Digital, Kadokawa