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Shibuya bans drinking alcohol on streets for Halloween, New Year

36 Comments

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This is hilarious. It will undoubtedly decrease the number of people drinking in the street, but won't prevent it completely.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

They might as well just ban drinking on streets in all of Tokyo or Japan itself for that matter. If I was young and full of fight... I'd just move to another part of Tokyo and try to organize my friends to go with me. This year the Halloween new destination might be Shinjuku, Harajuku, or somewhere else. Years ago they didn't need these rules... everyone followed the unwritten cultural norms. Now a days, young kids are quite a bit more adventurous and could car less about causing "meiwaku". Now that they have had the internet for a few years, they're starting to see what they've been missing. They're starting to realize how repressed society has been.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Vodka in pocari.

Whiskey in coke.

Nihonshu in a water bottle.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Alcohol bans in public gathering places during festivities are pretty common world wide, especially NY eve. Some places public drinking is permanently banned. E.g New York City. Nothing to see here really.

Only thing that is perplexing is the “ no penalties stipulated for offenders”. This is one case where the penalties need to be clearly stated. 10000yen fine and or arrest etc.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Yet another law with no penalties so who gives a flying flip whether they obey them or not

10 ( +10 / -0 )

There are, however, no penalties stipulated for offenders in the ordinance which comes into force Thursday.

> I don't understad why there are no penalties written. The same thing for usimg violence towards children.There are no penalties. Why make a law if there are no penalties. This makes no sense.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

There are, however, no penalties stipulated for offenders in the ordinance which comes into force Thursday.

Give them tickets, like a parking ticket, and fine them! Then use the money collected to assist with all the garbage collection!

"It's unfortunate that a law needs to be laid down because of the negative attention (the district) gained from events like Halloween," Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe said. "It's a problem that should have been resolved through proper etiquette and morals."

Right, like everyone in your age category are "models" of etiquette and morals! What a bunch of horse shite!

"As long as concerns remain over people who cause trouble and commit crimes, we will carry out our duty and make this ban widely known," he said.

Right, here's the chance for another idol group to make some money!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

More than 300,000 people, mostly aged from their late teens to their 30s, crowded around Shibuya's iconic scramble crossing on Halloween and the previous weekend last year, according to police.

So, if it's late teens and into their 30's the Mayor should be looking in the mirror as it's HIS age group that are responsible for raising these "younger" folks, and it's his age group that failed to teach them etiquette and morals.

What a damn hypocrite!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

prohibits individuals from climbing up street lamps in areas near JR Shibuya Station, one of the capital's major entertainment districts.

So its ok to climb them if not near Shibuya st....

There are, however, no penalties stipulated for offenders in the ordinance which comes into force Thursday.

good ol Japan

Vodka in pocari.

> Whiskey in coke.

> Nihonshu in a water bottle.

I was just going to say that.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

No penalties = no compliance

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Lolololololololololoololololololol

What a sad sad sad country japan is!!

1 ( +5 / -4 )

I suspect the problem is the odd idiot, who will still act like an idiot. In that case, all this will do is punish people who are not idiots.

Drinking fueled revelry is big part of many Japanese festivals. It is not a public order problem. Lots of gomi to clear up after matsuri too.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

No penalties? Just more social guidelines. It doesn’t matter anyway. People will just go to the Pong or Shinjuku to get their freak on. They haven’t addressed the problem. They have just moved it.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Not sure why anyone would want to go there anyways. Its overcrowded, smells like waste. Doesn't sound like fun.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Thank Goodness they're not touching such safe events, where alcohol is imbibed, like 'Seijin no Hi'...

4 ( +4 / -0 )

People will just go to the Pong or Shinjuku to get their freak on. They haven’t addressed the problem. They have just moved it.

I was thinking that too

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Yeah, that's not going to work. There's no way to enforce it, no way to prevent people who are already drunk from coming, and no way to prevent people from sneaking alcohol in.

But I think that is their plan - what will happen is another wild party with lots of misbehavior, and then the next year they will simply ban people from gathering there completely and say "we warned you."

But I have to say, that is what you get for acting like idiots in public. If people had any self-control and restraint, the police would have continued to be indulgent of the drunks, just like they are everywhere else.

Personally, I have to say that I'm glad they are cracking down. There's no excuse for acting like that in public. There's nothing wrong with getting drunk and being silly, or even getting a bit wild, but the way it has gone downhill fast from fun to crazy to damaging property and the harassment of women shows that it's time to put a stop to it.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I sure hope those guys are driving, because they're in no shape to walk.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

You can complain or poke fun of it all you like, but the reason for this are the a-holes who overturned that truck and proceeded to dance on and around it. THAT is the reason for the ban.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"There are, however, no penalties stipulated for offenders in the ordinance which comes into force Thursday."

Hahahaha! TIJ.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

That truck was driven by an old idiot into a huge crowd of people having fun.

Thats no reason to ban them from fun. It might be more productive to ban cars, trucks and anyone over 60 driving anywhere near this area. As for shimming up poles it's my past time. I'll shimmy up a giraffe if one passes by.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

People are having way too much fun.

They need to ban talking at these most august dates too.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The really crazy thing is, they have set this up and spent a lot of time and money deliberating over this, but there are no penalties. Therefore, if these revelers are drinking in the streets and a cop tells them to stop, they'll turn around and tell him to fob off.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

thats something good that they band it on the streets

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

JP Govt underlings:

"we heard that a lot of people go to Shibuya for Halloween and have fun, what should we do?"

JP Govt seniors:

"are we making any money off of it?"

JP Govt underlings:

"no"

JP Govt seniors:

"find a way to shut it down. but no penalties! that will take an effort for us to carry out."

JP Govt underlings:

"OK!"

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Police (on bullhorns): Please, you thousands of people openly drinking and celebrating, drinking on the streets is banned for Hallowe'en! (bends down) What's that sir? I can't hear you over the music? Enkais? Oh, no... you guys are free to keep on drinking in the streets, we're talking about stopping Hallowe'en only here. (back to the crowd) Please cooperate or it will be regrettable! If you don't stop we are going to have to.... please cooperate! This is entirely regrettable! (bends down) What? Who cares if they're dressed up and drinking in Harajuku? What's that got to do with this illegal gathering of people in costumes and drinking??

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Ten men, both Japanese and foreigners, were referred to prosecutors in January after they allegedly overturned a small truck near the station during a Halloween event in late October last year.

Not really in doubt since they were caught on video and stills were shared across social media showing the two western guys joining in with the overturning of the light truck. Hallowe'en isn't really an excuse to get hammered and turn into a yob, is it?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No penalties ?? What a joke! I think that it's more mendokusai to talk in English to foreigner who attend the event.

Why not simply ban the event if that's a problem??

1 ( +1 / -0 )

They should have compulsory drinking! Its Halloween culture!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Why not simply ban the event if that's a problem??

How would they do that? Japan is not a dictatorship. The people have freedom of movement and assembly.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Strangerland It's even an official event it's just a a gathering,

And sorry but how is banning an event a dictatorship? So for you we can gather in a place make trouble,... you let it go??

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Strangerland It's even an official event it's just a a gathering,

And sorry but how is banning an event a dictatorship?

It's not an event, it's a gathering.

In free societies, including Japan, the people have the right of movement and assembly. Halloween in Shibuya is not an organized event, nor does it require admission. It's simply a lot of people deciding to spend time together in the same location.

As such, the only way they could ban this would be to restrict the people's freedom of movement and assembly - which is what dictatorships do.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

And nobody has the right to drink on the street. It might be tolerated, frowned upon or overlooked, but you can believe that it is not a constitutionally protected right. If the assembly of Shibuya wants it to end, they will pass ordinances and police will enforce.

As said before, if people who decided to assemble could take their trash home with them, as so many people here and Japanese claim to do, and you had no destruction of property, which was clearly documented with last Halloween, you wouldn't have seen the outrage. A few rotten apples can and will spoil the bunch.

Thank those who flipped the truck, danced on and around it, as well as everyone who can't manage to carry a few empty cans of alcohol in a plastic bag to take home.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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