Now if the Japanese can only figure out a way to take advantage of the "trick or treat" portion of this fun event they will be making even more big bucks. Things were different on Okinawa, however. My first Halloween night on Okinawa I had over 100 children come to my home ... and none dressed in costume. They merely held out a hand ... and got goodies from me. Before I knew it I had been cleaned out of goodies ... even my personal snacks. The next Halloween and thereafter my wife and I spent our nights at local restaurants until the children went home. If trick or treating would become big here in Tokyo ... it would be off to the restaurants again ... I suppose ...
And Daiso will take them down and replace them with Christmas items on Nov 1st. I saw it last year. One end of the display had Christmas items going up, and the other end had Halloween items being taken down.
Why has it exploded in Japan? Because it meets the obsession with Western holidays/festivals and more importantly does so in a way that commercial enterprises can exploit. There is ZERO history to anything that goes on here in regards to Hallowe'en, save that introduced directly by foreign people for fun, and for kids, and recently most 'Hallowe'en corners' introduced in random shops, convenience stores, and otherwise are simply regular products with a few pumpkin stickers poster on the display case around them -- and yet they can jack up prices, especially if the packaging itself has Hallowe'en colours or decorations.
I feel bad for the trick or treaters in Hachioji. It usually involves a lot of walking between designated candy-giving businesses (shown on the map they are given), and then waiting in lines, just to get a bit of candy. It hasn't caught on on an industrial scale like in the States. As a kid, I used to go door to door and ended the night with a pillowcase half-full of candy.
Why do you think Halloween has exploded in popularity in Japan in the last few years?
I wouldn't say "Exploded", far from it. There are no state of the art Haunted Houses. Kids do not trick or treat in their neighborhoods. Adults don't throw wild parties everywhere (maybe only a few nightclubs in Tokyo).
At school, kids and teachers don't dress up. There are no costume contests. In HS, there are no halloween dances (nor any kind of dance period). And the amusement parks Halloween themes every yr are a joke here.
Wc626: Most of what you say is completely wrong for Tokyo. Maybe it hasn't exploded in all of Japan yet, but it definitely has in Tokyo and it's more likely to spread than die down in upcoming years.
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Erorrless
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edojin
Now if the Japanese can only figure out a way to take advantage of the "trick or treat" portion of this fun event they will be making even more big bucks. Things were different on Okinawa, however. My first Halloween night on Okinawa I had over 100 children come to my home ... and none dressed in costume. They merely held out a hand ... and got goodies from me. Before I knew it I had been cleaned out of goodies ... even my personal snacks. The next Halloween and thereafter my wife and I spent our nights at local restaurants until the children went home. If trick or treating would become big here in Tokyo ... it would be off to the restaurants again ... I suppose ...
sighclops
Because we all know that Japan is the master of taking a western tradition and beating the living daylights out of it for financial gain.
Thunderbird2
Long gone are the days of dunking for apples and other party games... it's all gone American unfortunately.
Robert Haddan
Since JT did an article on this in 2013, I'm going with Tokyo Disney, Cosplay, Kids learning English and national character!
http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/since-when-was-halloween-so-popular-in-japan
Serrano
Because the Great Pumpkin will DEFINITELY rise from the pumpkin patch this time!
philly1
Don't forget that it's fun to dress up, be someone else for a night and if you're a kid, bag some candy.
Haaa Nemui
Maybe if you're an adult too....
Anyway... it's being pushed by commercialism.
gokai_wo_maneku
I agree, it is just commercialism, trying to put a new spin on cosplay for money, money, money.
Jimizo
Because of money and there's nothing wrong with that. I don't dress up like a tit because I'm a miserable sod but many people aren't like me.
Serrano
"I'm sort of tired of this month long "Halloween" celebration."
Where have you been, heck, the 100 yen shops started selling Halloween stuff at the end of August, lol
sensei258
And Daiso will take them down and replace them with Christmas items on Nov 1st. I saw it last year. One end of the display had Christmas items going up, and the other end had Halloween items being taken down.
smithinjapan
Why has it exploded in Japan? Because it meets the obsession with Western holidays/festivals and more importantly does so in a way that commercial enterprises can exploit. There is ZERO history to anything that goes on here in regards to Hallowe'en, save that introduced directly by foreign people for fun, and for kids, and recently most 'Hallowe'en corners' introduced in random shops, convenience stores, and otherwise are simply regular products with a few pumpkin stickers poster on the display case around them -- and yet they can jack up prices, especially if the packaging itself has Hallowe'en colours or decorations.
Black Sabbath
Halloween has exploded because all the little eikaiwa tots from the 90s are now old enough to party.
PTownsend
It's a fun fit in a country where cosplay is popular with so many.
JeffLee
It's exploding in popularity worldwide, including the West.
People feel like celebrating in the period following the summer and before hunkering down for the dark cold winter. It's universal.
Pukey2
An extension of Cosplay for participants, and money for the shops and food and clothing industry, just as poster 1 and 3 said.
NZ2011
The cosplay angle seems to be a big factor. And while it might seem a little low rent.. Im not complaining.
sensei258
I feel bad for the trick or treaters in Hachioji. It usually involves a lot of walking between designated candy-giving businesses (shown on the map they are given), and then waiting in lines, just to get a bit of candy. It hasn't caught on on an industrial scale like in the States. As a kid, I used to go door to door and ended the night with a pillowcase half-full of candy.
sillygirl
I'm sort of tired of this month long "Halloween" celebration.
Wc626
I wouldn't say "Exploded", far from it. There are no state of the art Haunted Houses. Kids do not trick or treat in their neighborhoods. Adults don't throw wild parties everywhere (maybe only a few nightclubs in Tokyo).
At school, kids and teachers don't dress up. There are no costume contests. In HS, there are no halloween dances (nor any kind of dance period). And the amusement parks Halloween themes every yr are a joke here.
DiscoJ
Wc626: Most of what you say is completely wrong for Tokyo. Maybe it hasn't exploded in all of Japan yet, but it definitely has in Tokyo and it's more likely to spread than die down in upcoming years.
nath
There is only one answer to this question that matters: because it's fun
sensei258
This year, Daiso put up the Christmas items the day BEFORE Halloween.