The mayors of Tokyo's Shibuya and Shinjuku wards said Monday they will work together to curb street drinking and rowdiness over this year's Halloween period amid a rise in overseas tourists.
"Drinking on the street has led to environmental damage including loud noise and littering," Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe told a press conference in Tokyo, while Kenichi Yoshizumi, mayor of adjacent Shinjuku Ward, said, "Accidents and fights occur when people gather on the street and drink."
Shibuya has been a highly popular destination for Halloween revelers to mark the celebration on and around Oct. 31. But Hasebe said he recognized the need to collaborate with Shinjuku as measures his ward took last year to dissuade partygoers "had an impact on Shinjuku, our neighbor."
During last year's Halloween, when Shibuya Ward made repeated calls to stay away amid fears of overcrowding, the number of visitors around Shibuya Station totaled around 15,000 people, way down from the initially estimated 60,000, according to Hasebe.
Shinjuku, for its part, saw a large number of visitors flow into the "tight space" of the Kabukicho entertainment and red light district during the same period, making "really troublesome crowds," Yoshizumi said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.
"We thought, if we let this go, people are going to say, 'Okay, it's not allowed in Shibuya, but we can do it in Shinjuku.' So for that not to happen we have decided to do this, this year," he said, referring to a newly introduced ban on alcohol consumption during this Halloween in and around the Kabukicho area.
Shibuya Ward has, since 2019, banned alcohol consumption on certain streets during specific periods, such as Halloween and the New Year holiday. But a revised ordinance that took effect earlier this month has extended the ban year-round and covers a wider area in a bid to curb worsening littering and noise from large crowds.
The ban is in effect daily from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. in areas surrounding JR and Keio Shibuya stations.
The alcohol consumption ban in Shinjuku will be effective for 12 hours starting at 5 p.m. on Oct. 31.
Both measures do not carry penalties.
The two municipalities also said they would call on the central and Tokyo metropolitan governments for stricter measures such as imposing a legal ban on street drinking, with Hasebe adding that such laws were already commonplace overseas.
Overcrowding and rowdy behavior have been in greater focus in recent years, especially since coronavirus restrictions were removed.
Over 150 people were killed in a crowd crush that occurred on Oct. 29, 2022, in Seoul's Itaewon entertainment district after tens of thousands gathered to take part in Halloween festivities for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions were eased in South Korea.
© KYODO
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リッチ
Waste of effort and time. Why don’t they do this for masuri festivals when people are drunk as skunks walking around the neighborhood. Shibuya is frankly boring anymore and shinjuku is filthy. All for nothing.
dagon
The foreign correspondenta were probably chuckling at this pathetic political theater.
Then make a curfew.
Do a lockdown.
Ban public drinking nationally, at all those rowdy cherry blossom parties and matsuri too .
Manner posters are a sign of weakness.
didou
Ikebukuro will see more Hallowing party goers.
Is the problem linked with inbound tourists. If not, no need to mention it.
My country does not have such restrictions. When some events do happen like that, the city staff does clean the streets the following day. Can’t Japan do the same, as they do it for matsuris ?
MarkX
Have either of these two guys heard of Times Square in New York? How many thousands of people go there for New Years Eve. I'm pretty sure there is drinking going on during the countdown celebration. Just organize it, and let people have fun, not take the fun out of everything.
Burning Bush
They more than likely have. But they are probably thinking more closer to home for example the Seoul Halloween crowd crush
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seoul_Halloween_crowd_crush
Face it, the Halloween action in Shibuya has had it's day
I for one won't miss it
itsonlyrocknroll
Shinjuku Ward Mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi, left, and Shibuya Ward Mayor Ken Hasebe are a sad reflection of mismanagement in office, unable or unwilling to understand the essential need to employ smart alternative solutions.
Those public spaces, especially Halloween, New Year, Christmas, weekends, could serve as a positive means to welcome, roll out that red carpet, in fact facilitate a means to bring a sometime forgotten ignored marginalized youth generation together, essential to combat depopulation.
A means to promote romanticism.
It is a shameful narrow mindset, irritating sneering exaggerated conformity, an over bearing adherence to an enforced puritanical orthodoxy.
Obsessive behaviour, a refusal to fully review alternatives
TokyoLiving
Excellent, down with the clowns..
itsonlyrocknroll
Press Conference: Shibuya and Shinjuku Join Hands Against Overtourism and Halloween Street Drinking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icaui3bibqA
What an appallingly negative message, scroll to 7:40
Yubaru
Gimmie a break, more "environmental damage" is caused the other 364 days of the year in Shinjuku and Shibuya than on Halloween alone!
Stop shoveling the BS and just come out with it. You are annoyed that you have to pay to clean up the mess. Figure out a way to funnel everyone to a central location, make it into an "event" and promote the hell out of it. Ya'll make some serious cash no doubt!
The biggest problem with Halloween in Japan is that there is no "one spot" for people to get together to have fun, like other festivals.
Capuchin
These fellas look like an absolute bundle of laughs. Why not facilitate rather than try to shut down one of the area's largest grassroots events?
virusrex
The article makes it perfectly clear that this is not the case, last year it had a very strong effect as desired.
How many reports have you seen of troubles because of traditional festivals in Shibuya and Shinjuku?
Hyperbole to demonstrate your own point lacks merit?
If the locals don't see a benefit on holding the events why would they have to do it and clean up afterwards?
Or not, and let the people have their fun elsewhere. It is not like they are going to other wards to forbid things.
Not really, they are simply choosing the alternative that the locals want, even if you personally would like them to choose differently. No mystery here about who is the one that decide what to do.
Not an argument, they are enforcing what the locals want, without any puritanical factor being involved, that is just an imaginary problem you like to pretend is happening here. The simple financial factors are more than enough to explain the ban.
Make a cost/benefit analysis and submit this to the local governments involved. I mean, it is easy to have no doubts from a terribly superficial look without having to think about security, safety, organization, etc.
Understandable since it is not really a tradition in Japan until recently, and clearly indicate the benefits you think are there are not enough to justify someone taking care of the nuisances, dangers and costs.
Hercolobus
It is not a Japanese celebration but and invasive species. Like ponds are dried and invasive species are removed, do the same with Halloween.
Daninthepan
Why don't we ask the young people what they want? It's their country too, isn't it?
Namorada
If we are going to go this far, ban the drinking and large crowds at Hanami events in certain areas. It really makes it hard to enjoy the blossoms when there are drunken people all over.
virusrex
Because then you can impose their will about what the locals want? What if we ask young people if they want to party at your house every day?
itsonlyrocknroll
virusrex,
The photo is toe curling, negative, not a single positive sentence,
The narrative to politicize, trample over quote, 150 people were killed in a crowd crush that occurred on Oct. 29, 2022, in Seoul's Itaewon entertainment district, proven to be a failure to manage access to a area recognised for its steep narrow confined entertainment district.
Is a gross macabre misrepresentation of the facts.
A deluge of sanctimonious melancholy, personified
An opportunity to offer a alternative, a smart positive solution is beyond these two incompetents.
Resign, move over,
Lets bring in public private partnership organisational teams, recruit directly from the local hospitality industry.
Yubaru
I assume you know why this will never happen!
virusrex
Not a single part is an argument that refutes the ones that clearly show your position is not valid.
Yet you fail to argue any misrepresentation, just call it that way, as if that was enough to prove it. In reality not identifying any part in the sentence that is misrepresented proves the opposite.
Still not an argument, and a claim already debunked. The locals don't want the problem, nothing sanctimonious nor melancholic about it.
That is understandable the moment you fail to prove there is a realistic alternative that don't come with more complications and expenses. It is like someone saying that there are a 100 places more suitable for public halloween parties in Tokyo than Shibuya and Shinjuku... but can never name any of those places.
You mean the ones that profit much more from having people drink and eat in their shops than in the street? how many have you found saying that they would be happy to take responsibility from organizing those events? I mean, the local hospitality industry is precisely the one that the local government is representing here.
GillislowTier
They need to overtly tell Japanese people this. There is this weird overt hypocrisy of pointing towards foreigners for this mess, but look at any video and you know the fact that it’s Japan, and it’s almost always young Japanese people who’ve never left the house going nuts on this day.
Normal people were going out for drinks and checking out the costumes. Then you get a bunch of the kids who have never been to a party before being influenced by their internet image of a huge party on the street loosing their mind and the situation creates itself based on assumption over reality.
Its so weird they a hundred other counties having Halloween celebrations don’t have this issue but Japan… hmm
Some dude
Halloween is lame anyway. Just an excuse for people to forget about their miserable daily lives by dressing up and getting sloshed.
SDCA
Japan will be covered in signs and everyone would need to photoshop them out of their pictures.
Daninthepan
I'm keen.
itsonlyrocknroll
In Kochi Halloween, Christmas, New Year it is a time to fully take advantage of outdoor spaces for themed events.
Fireworks, family orientated, yes wine and food, invite friends.
For Girls/Guys to congregate together to grow relationships.
virusrex, I cannot believe comprehend your despondency.
virusrex
The arguments used are the ones that clearly disprove your claims. When you give up trying to argue against these arguments and instead reduce yourself to make personal attacks you are also implicitly accepting you could not refute any of them, so you instead begin calling names as if this in any way made those contrary arguments disappear.
They don't, the position of the local governments is still justified by prioritizing the wishes of the local people above some supposed better option that you want to think must exist.
BB
I understand the frustration with the mess but kind of feel like a little wild socializing once in a while should be okay. Those of us with no interest won't go. Those who like it will go.
kohakuebisu
The Seoul equivalent of Center Gai has food stalls all down the middle. It also has a banner across the street saying "just hand your garbage to any stall". I don't understand why Japanese are so incapable of dealing with garbage. The rest stops on expressways, which are very expensive to use, have big signs moaning about people dropping off too much garbage. If the highway authority is short of funds, it should employ fewer amakudari.
That said, there are lots of issues around Halloween. Japan may have a rep for cosplay, but is poor at providing spaces for folks to get changed or apply makeup. The standard solution is to use the toilets in a department store, basically freeloading which messes them up and obstructs the stores' regular customers. I get the impression folks riding the trains in full costume is not welcomed either (from what cosplay events say).
itsonlyrocknroll
virusrex
I don't do, approve, succumb to personal attacks, such behaviour is deplorable.
Subject matter first foremost every comment.
I am simply enquiring into your reasoning logic,
It is a friendly gesture, nothing more.
To understand your position.
I am sincerely sorry you feel I am making a personal attack, I can assure you that is not the case at all.
fluffy_canyons
I don’t get why they can’t learn to make this benefit everyone ? It could be one of the biggest events in Japan. People love cosplay, people love Japan , why not just make it happen. This place ceases to amaze me sometimes.
Wasabi
Please stop trying to impose something to this country. This is an American "event" that does not match with the Japanese culture. And it does not seams that they want it (see the article).
TheDalaiLamasBifocals
Actually it's an Irish/Scottish event.
What Japanese culture? If you are talking about miserable old oyajis, maybe, but it matches with many, many young Japanese people.
Kaowaiinekochanknaw
It's not a legal ban as it's not legal.
Just a pathetic request.
Enjoy yourself and be safe when partying and enjoy a drink, outside - if you want.
spinningplates
It was only a matter of time. Next will be banning street drinking everywhere.
It was a charming point to wander around sightseeing with a few drinks in hand from conbini's along the way. But yeah...just like other countries some people can't do things peacefully, so it prohibited for all.
If the Japanese were keen, they'd do a 'Yokai' festival in Obon and celebrate their own culture. But then again, many people i meet don't even know their own culture. Hahaha!
Jonathan Prin
Put beer in your coke can !
Arrest the few youngsters that will make rowdy actions, as in any other major event if needed.
Shibjuku and Shibuya want the cake and eat it.
Using fear about a Seoul event which has nothing in common to deter people to enjoy together.
So hypocritical but no surprise from oyajis.
Be alive and modern sometimes !
virusrex
The problem is not that they can't learn how to make this work, but that they are not interested in having it on the first place, if the locals are not interested there is no point in forcing the event onto them.
You can probably begin distributing flyers in Shibuya and Shinjuku from now then to let people where you can host them.
Is as legal as the one last year, and since it was successfully implemented then probably it will also be this year as well.
In any of the places that have not made evident their displeasure with people doing that.
Definitely not, neither localtion have said they want the meagre economic benefit but not the problems, dangers and nuisances of the event, they want it to be hold elsewhere, the good and the bad together.
And the whole point is that people want to have their fun without any hassle or complications, so saying that they can still do that as long as they do it in a complicated way is self defeating.
Multitudes in uncontrolled crowds? that is plenty in common. To avoid having the same tragedy it is necessary a big investment on safety measures and deal with many other problems that the locals simply don't consider worth the effort. So instead of just letting crows without providing safety they choose to restrict the event so people will do it safely wherever the locals are interested in providing that.
Kaowaiinekochanknaw
It's as legal as the one last year, and since it was successfully implemented then probably it will also be this year as well.
Yes, which has no legal basis. Mayors cannot create laws in Japan.
Kaowaiinekochanknaw
You can follow an ordinance or request - if you want.
But you don't have to.
Bullies can threaten you and you can do what they say, but it has no legal weight if you don't.Just doing what someone outside of their jurisdiction is doing or trying to say you must do, against your wishes - is pandering to bullies.
Hence a request is not a Law.
Furthermore, no penalties are able to be legally enforced by any of these kinds of requests.
In fact a police officer or security guard is opening themselves up to harassment claims in trying to enforce, which in essence, are harassment requests of others, for people just going about their daily lives under the Law.
Here is how Laws are made in Japan: https://www.clb.go.jp/english/process/
virusrex
Looking at the results of last year people do it.
Not bullies, locals that do not appreciate people going to their ward to do something when explicitly telling them it is not desired. Bullies would be the ones that go to your place to make a party even when you explicitly you tell them you don't want them to. In this situation you are on the part of the bullies.
Yet they are effective, which again has to do with people being there precisely because there was no complication with partying like that, an appeal that is lost even without jail or fines involved. The same desire to avoid this kind of trouble is what brought people to Shibuya and kept them away last year.
How many claims were made last year? none? that completely defeats the argument.
Wasabi
Kaowaiinekochanknaw
Maybe you are a lower or something but in Japan you are a guest. You better obey the rules or you will not stay long here.
Kaowaiinekochanknaw
Looking at the results of last year people do it.
This fails to prove that it's a Law.
Yet they are effective, which again has to do with people being there precisely because there was no complication with partying like that, an appeal that is lost even without jail or fines involved. The same desire to avoid this kind of trouble is what brought people to Shibuya and kept them away last year.
Again. This fails the argument that it's a Law.
Kaowaiinekochanknaw
Maybe you are a lower or something but in Japan you are a guest. You better obey the rules or you will not stay long here.
Thankyou Wasabi for your advice and concern.
So-called "manners" are one thing. - Nobody needs to obey them, if they don't agree with them. Especially if rhey make no sence and are coersion from bullies.
Laws are different. People need to obey them for visa status.
I have been here long enough to know the difference.
virusrex
It does not need to become a law, that is the point. As long as it has the desired effect there is no problem and it was effective last year so it is reasonable to expect the same this year.
The only one that thinks it needs to be a law to be effective is you, and you have not argued how this is the case, specially since it was not a law before either yet it was successful.
Buillies are again those that want to impose their presence and problems to the locals even when they are openly told that they are not well received. A big hint is that bullies are the ones that make an appeal to their ability to act offensively and without manners when going to a place well knowing they are harassing the locals by doing it.
2 Year Old
Send in the clowns….
Instead of organizing it as an event, in a location where they can control the crowds, sell permits for the food trucks to sell food and drinks, use the money from permits to pay for public toilets, and garbage cans.
Also Local town groups can sell food and drinks like they do at O-Edo bon festival and raise money.
Edo O-bon, A festival where heaps of people are drunk watching people in costumes dance around. Sounds pretty much try same. Also it is very noisy, but no one shuts it down. This year it had a LOT of tourists too. They sold out of all the booze!
I have attended the O-Bon festival for 25 years, and love it.
They could make a Halloween event that makes money and fun for everyone! But no…. Just be a party pooper!
Kazuaki Shimazaki
virusrexToday 02:51 pm JST
The correct answer is that Yes, it is a Law. Or to be more accurate, a Legal Act. As an ordinance, it doesn't have the rank of statute, and its effects are limited to the wards enacting it, but it does have legal effect and changes your legal rights and obligations even if a penalty is not specified.
The first effect is that Japanese tend to be deferential to authority. If the government declares clearly what's right and wrong, many (as many as 75% in this case) Japanese will just obey even if it's not what they want to do or even if they think the rule is as absurd as school rules about black hair.
The second effect is how it affects the police. In declaring what's right and wrong, it decides the "correct" police response in case of any dispute between a Halloweener and a local. Without this law the police may indeed fear harassment. The law clears him of that - in fact it tells him he needs to press the Halloweener to desist. While violating the ordinance does not have direct legal penalties, if the Halloweener fails to comply he runs the legal risk of violating the criminal prohibition for interfering police in their duties.
The third effect is how it affects the outcome of any civil lawsuit, again because of the declaration of right and wrong.
Thunderbird2
So what's the point?
Plod: You! Stop drinking!
Yobbo: No!
Plod: Okay then
It's a total waste of money and effort.
virusrex
It affects the conduct of the people, and for that you can read the comment posted 30 minutes before yours.
If the whole point of the event is that people can go and drink without worries and troubles then the simple fact that the ban is in effect eliminates this scenario in Shibuya and Shinjuku, so people that want to have this kind of fun can go to any other place where they are not continuously asked to stop drinking. It worked last year, it is simply much more likely to work this year as well.
tamanegi
I can understand the city officials actions. Over consumption of alcohol by the Japanese at venues and in public is a big problem in Japan. I was at an Oktoberfest event in Kobe on Saturday. By 8pm some Japanese had passed out or vomited on themselves and the tables. One drunken man had decided to go topless and tried to take selfies with the unimpressed staff.
Great Bird
Virusrex
While I generally agree with 95% or so of what you write (thanks for being a voice of reason on Covid, etc etc.) on this one, I don't really see it the way you do.
You keep repeating things like
Now I would make a distinction between Halloween and the new ban now. Halloween, ok, after the truck incident years ago, was clear that something had to be done. Interesting that Hasebe said that they tried with Yoyogi park, but that of course people want to take their picture with the scramble crossing and center gai, so go there anyway. Makes sense, hard to move it. And makes sense to try to get rid of wild "Halloween in Shibuya". (Actually it might be easier to just get rid of the scramble crossing, that's what attracts tourists to Shibuya in the first place, build an overpass, covering the whole intersection, put Hachiko up there too and be done with that)
But the rest of the year? Now I'm not in Shibuya in the evening all that often, but I really haven't noticed any big difference in public drinking (or in general, except of course Yamashita Koen where now you feel on a different planet if you're over 25 years old) compared to 20 years ago. The mayor in the FCCJ press conference said street drinking in center gai increased from 250 per day one year ago to up to 721. After the ban on the weekend 217. That's per day and to be honest I don't really see the problem even with the higher number. Do the locals? Specifically the businesses in center gai and the people that walk through going home? Not the person living in Sasazuka,
To me the ban seems pretty pointless, it's a solution to a non-existing problem. Or a very very minor problem.
Overtourism? First, overtourism in Japan in some cases could also be called "underservice".
On Halloween then I would guess the vast majority of foreigners that go to Halloween are residents. 1) Japanese 2) Foreign residents 3) Tourists With tourists likely increasing the longer it goes on. But when years ago I was forced to walk through center gai by a bunch of my wife's japanese friends, that wanted to see the zoo on Halloween, the vast majority were Japanese, that was unlikely to change. The connection to overtourism is very weak I think.
Street drinking in general. 2/3 foreigners Hasebe said, on some weekdays Japanese the majority, of course the data since the ban is basically non-existent and not very representative, he never really makes clear if he's talking averages, maximum etc. either. And yes, that's probably in large part tourists. But again, 721 people drinking on a street in a day, I fail to see the problem. They are loud? Center gai IS loud. Shibuya IS loud. The trash? Underservice, I don't think there's a law against trash cans on the street, I don't think they couldn't divert some of these great silver jobs that patrol the street with anti-smoking signs, check for illegal bike parking to trash bag changers. The tourists drinking block the street? First part of center gai is basically pedestrian, don't see the big problem. But yes, can happen, but it's not like Shibuya is the perfect place for speed walking anyway, if it's not public drinkers it's people taking pictures, high school students hanging out.
As for Shinjuku and Halloween. 3000 people came, IMO that would be no problem. But can understand that they don't want to get it started, this year 5000, next year 20'000 etc. The trash, Kabukicho is the last place in Japan that can complain about trash really. Ok, is cleaner than it used to be 25 years ago, but still. But can see they don't want to see it grow, makes sense. So block now.
So while I understand the Halloween issues, the yearlong drinking ban to me looks like an overreaction to a not really existing problem. And when Hasebe says that he wants to ask the Japanese government for a national ban on street drinking, sorry, that's just absolutely idiotic. Yes, used to live in Meidaimae, Friday evenings coming home used to be a hurdle course, in front of the station step over collapsed Meiji students and their puke, but in general public drinking in Japan simply isn't a problem. Conbini close to where I live has the occasional people, group of friends, couples in their 50es, almost any demographic really, sitting on nearby benches enjoying a cold beer in the 95% summer evening humidity. They don't bother anybody, puzzling that they prefer the humidity to the nice air conditioning at home, but as long as I'm not forced to join...The idea to forbid stuff like that is just idiotic. And it really wouldn't solve any problems with drunkeness, that do exist, either. It's not like if you get drunk in a bar you're then calmer on the way home.
Great Bird
Argh, wrong quote above, the following shouldn't be quoted, my comment.
Do we have any data on that? Yes, I know how it works, they elect an assembly, the assembly votes, they represent the people, so in that sense yes. But are there any opinion polls on that?