For many young adults, Halloween is about having fun dressing up before meeting friends for drinks, clubbing, and snapping photos of everyone else in costume. The celebration of Halloween was largely unheard of in Japan, it was only in the early 2000s that Shibuya’s scramble crossing became the center for Halloween festivities, with the celebrations seen today evolving out of Halloween meets by cosplayers living in the area.
Each year, Shibuya becomes a magnet drawing huge crowds of giddy, costume-wearing people, many of whom are looking to participate in unofficial street parties and roam the area’s streets in search of fun. In 2022, there is no “official” Shibuya Halloween, though many will likely descend on Shibuya Crossing in costume.
Recent years have seen a variety of problems arise in the wake of Halloween, with huge amounts of trash generated, noise complaints, vandalism – and even the overturning of a car in 2018. The streets get full and the pubs and clubs become packed on Friday and Saturday night as central Tokyo welcomed Halloween revelers back in large numbers — but the celebrations remained muted in comparison to the pre-pandemic years, with memories of a costumed assailant’s 2021 stabbing spree still fresh.
After midnight, news broke of the deadly crush during Halloween celebrations in Seoul, casting a pall over the rest of the Halloween weekend and raising key questions about safety.
For public safety reasons, this prompted the Shibuya City government to announce a ban on public drinking (including in parks and on streets) within particular areas in Shibuya (shown below), which traditionally see a large number of partygoers.
For Halloween, the drinking ban will be in place on the following dates/times:
・Friday, October 28, 2022: 6:00 p.m. – Midnight
・Saturday, October 29, 2022: Midnight – 5:00 a.m., 6:00 p.m. – Midnight
・Sunday, October 30, 2022: Midnight – 5:00 a.m., 6:00 p.m. – Midnight
・Monday, October 31, 2022: Midnight – 5:00 a.m., 6:00 p.m. – Midnight
・Tuesday, November 1, 2022: Midnight – 5:00 a.m.
In Japan, convenience stores readily sell alcohol to those aged 20 and above, and drinking in public areas is generally acceptable, provided there is no nuisance to others. However, alcohol may not be available at shops in the prohibition zone, including convenience stores.
While this ban is aimed at preventing drinking in public, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, and other shops within the outlined area are not prohibited from selling alcohol.
In past years, Shibuya City specifically reminded that people observe a variety of other laws and manners, including no: littering; public drinking; smoking on the streets; urinating in public; vandalism; picking people up; using loud voices; fighting or violence; illegal parking; shoplifting; graffiti.
Shibuya is also had an increased presence of security and police on foot patrol, with an eye to cracking down on potential issues before they arise.
