Japan
Say goodbye to Halloween: This famous Tokyo neighborhood keeps its neighbors in line to avoid scares on its streets
The Shibuya district bans all Halloween celebrations for safety reasons.
Japan and its rules. It is well-known how restrictive Japan is on some things that are completely normal in the West. Halloween adds a new brick to this wall of restrictions. Residents of the Shibuya neighborhood woke up to signs proclaiming a ban on all events on their streets around the holiday. They will not be allowed to drink, smoke, or hold any kind of gathering that leads to a congregation of people.
Although the reasons are not specified, locals suggest that it is a safety issue. Shibuya is already one of Japan’s trendiest districts. Its mythical intersection and huge shopping malls and restaurants make it one of the city’s hot spots for locals and tourists alike. Too many people do not always show the politeness expected in such a country.
The reason for the closure: crowds that we have seen in movies, video games and anime
Some neighbors explain that in previous years, Halloween parties on public streets were so large that it took almost an hour to cross a block. For those who live there or have to pass through to get to their final destination, it completely disrupts their routine. And what can happen...
Both movies and video games have perfectly portrayed what happens in the crosswalk on any given day of the year. In ‘Lost in Translation’ (2003), it was Scarlett Johansson herself who felt (and suffered) what it was like to be in the middle of the crosswalk. In Ghostwire Tokyo, the opposite is true. Tango Gameworks’ game allowed us to navigate through it without a single human face around us. It’s a fantasy in itself to see the Shibuya intersection completely empty.
Or we can just think of the Shibuya Incident arc of Jujutsu Kaisen... or it’s still it’s too early to remember certain traumas that this part of the anime left us with.
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