Shibuya abuzz with costumes on weekend before Halloween

Bobby Okinaka, a 50-year-old American who has lived in Japan for 10 years, won third prize for his original "zombie sushi" costume. He was awarded an Asahi Beer gift set worth 100,000 yen.

That is a hell of a lot of beer! Congrats! Would love to see pictures of the winners costumes!

Couldn't you have found a better photo than that?!

Although no penalties are stipulated for offenders in the ordinance, ward officials will patrol the area in groups of three to reprimand those violating the ban.

Reprimand? They had better watch out how they go about this. I can see some drunk getting into a fight about this!

Jimizo - I suppose kids in Mickey Mouse ears asking for sweets and adults dressing up as Mafioso or whatever for parties respects the true meaning of Halloween.

Are people in their late 20’s, 30’s or 40’s considered as children?

Erm, I suppose not but that isn’t really the point.

What do you think people should do at Halloween? I don’t get why later additions to the Halloween ( bobbing for apples, trick or treating ) should be seen as what Halloween should be about.

Let people enjoy themselves and businesses flog stuff. No problem here.

Just call it what it is. It’s a Halloween themed cosplay play festival. There are no traditional Halloween traits what-so-ever. There are no scary stories, bobbing for apples or trick or treating. Halloween is for kids, just as Christmas is. It’s a embarrassing that people have to go to such extreme forms of escapism to satisfy their need to be part of the in-crowd. It’s nothing more than a commercialized sham.

> Although no penalties are stipulated for offenders in the ordinance, ward officials will patrol the area in groups of three to reprimand those violating the ban.

How sanctimonious can you get...

The Halloween spectacle in Japan has about as much to do with Halloween as my morning coffee has to do with the tea ceremony.

do you get angry at westerners who celebrate Christmas without it being religious?

It really is ok for others to have fun.

Bobby Okinaka, a 50-year-old American who has lived in Japan for 10 years, won third prize for his original "zombie sushi" costume. 

Age ain't nothin' but a number.

Love the leopard skin outfits. Makeup could use some tweaking, lol.

Love a lady in a car suit meooooowww

Meow :)

props to @Do the hustle for not being afraid to state the obvious. Halloween in Japan is pretty much just a cosplay festival. that,s it. and yeah, i like having fun too. but if it,s about having fun, we still have the other 364 days of the year.

Here is the link from Kyodo News which ran the same article with pictures.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2019/10/7693d2c6f8d6-tokyos-shibuya-abuzz-with-costumes-on-weekend-before-halloween.html

I was there too at Hikarie. It wasn’t as big of a crowd as last year.

Sounds like fun, so long as people act like civilized adults and don't go rioting and creating other disturbances.

The Halloween spectacle in Japan has about as much to do with Halloween as my morning coffee has to do with the tea ceremony.

These Halloween threads are like a microcosm of the Internet.

If you only read this thread you would think that everyone in the world hates Halloween. When in truth pretty much everyone enjoys Halloween. These threads just attract all the soulless people who have never known how to have fun.

The photo states a see me an, all consuming second time click of a camera set up.

Jimizo - I suppose kids in Mickey Mouse ears asking for sweets and adults dressing up as Mafioso or whatever for parties respects the true meaning of Halloween.

Are people in their late 20’s, 30’s or 40’s considered as children?

I'm looking forward to Dia de Muertos.

Policeman takes a photo...

I can understand (but disagree with) people who complain about how Christmas is practiced, as there is a religious element involved that holds meaning for many. And the holiday itself almost celebrates the god consumerism.

But complaining about missing the "meaning of Halloween??" What meaning is that? I grew up with Halloween and it never occurred to me (or anyone else I knew) that it had meaning aside from being fun.

Halloween is for kids, just as Christmas is. It’s a embarrassing that people have to go to such extreme forms of escapism to satisfy their need to be part of the in-crowd.

Well, to each his own. Stay home and read a book if you wish. I don't often partake in costumes these days, but it's quite a bit of fun and common to many cultures. I wasn't aware there was an "in crowd" involved. Costumes give people a chance to explore and be who they want to be for an evening without fear of judgement. Sounds like a good thing to me.

corection Cat suit

Earn from the second click download, at least capture the moment in cash

Prancing around like Mowgli's sister doesn't count.

Fun for adults but excluding kids makes me sad.

I suppose kids in Mickey Mouse ears asking for sweets and adults dressing up as Mafioso or whatever for parties respects the true meaning of Halloween.

Although no penalties are stipulated for offenders in the ordinance, ward officials will patrol the area in groups of three to reprimand those violating the ban.

for those who are being reprimanded, my advice would be to pull down their pants and moon- with the words happy halloween on their backsides