What would lead to someone making this sign? Read on to find out more.
On Friday, October 31st, 2014, I was dining with friends in Shibuya. We had met early, around 5pm, and the streets had been quite regular for a Shibuya Friday night at that time of day. 5pm was always a few hours before the crowds picked up, where happy hour at TGI Fridays and the HUB was always cheap and a bucket of laughs. I had been visiting the area and doing happy hour since I first arrived in the year 2000. In the early to late 2000’s, you used infrared sekigaisen to exchange flip cellphone email address’ with girls and their email addresses were always something like princess_hime_loves_cats_neko_2396893_arashi@docomo.ne.jp (to avoid spam mail) and it was the only way of communicating. That all changed when the iPhone came out (although SoftBank had the monopoly on those and Japanese still used flip phones well into the early 2010’s). I digress. Back on topic.
On that Halloween night in 2014, we were at the top end of Shibuya, near the NHK offices. We finished dinner around 9pm and walked back to the station but were gobsmacked at what we saw in front of us as the station got closer.
For some unapparent reason, there were hundreds of thousands of people all in costume, and it was seriously DANGEROUS to walk through the crowds (think Korea, last year). I say unapparent because up until 2013, almost nobody (more on this soon) in Japan celebrated Halloween. The only time I remember people celebrating Halloween was in my younger days as a kid’s English teacher, and the Yamanote train party animals (more on this soon too). The scenes that night in 2014 instantly reminded me of New Year’s Eve in the same place, where I witnessed a young woman fall to her death on my first ever NYE at the scramble crossing in 2000. She was drunk and on top of the subway entrance, dancing with her friend. The glass broke and she fell through it and onto the steps. Blood everywhere, she was taken away in an ambulance where it was later announced on the news that she had passed away. From memory, the friend also fell through but survived.
Halloween was literally non-existent in 2013, turning into a massive, wild party in 2014. It was also an extremely well organized promotion. The event itself was madness, but whoever got word out that a new party was starting in Shibuya, did a very good job of getting hundreds of thousands of people into a costume and into such a small, tight area.
Shibuya Scramble Crossing
Shibuya Halloween is a street party that is probably the largest Halloween celebration in the world. The party takes place on the streets around Shibuya Crossing, which is one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the world. It’s been featured in movies, television, manga, in guide books and anything else Japan related. The crossing is also remade in Ashikaga for film and tv productions. It might just be the most famous crossing in the entire world.
For Halloween, the streets are closed to traffic, and people spill out onto the roads creating a carnival-like atmosphere. In 2014, the police were not ready for it but in 2019, the year before COVID, there were supposedly over 2,000 police officers and security guards on duty. This was in reaction to some of the more tumultuous situations that had occurred in prior years, including vandalism and other criminal conduct.
The Yamanote Halloween Train, or "Gaijin Train"
When I first arrived in Tokyo as a fresh faced 19 year old in the year 2000, the closest thing to Halloween for the Japanese was obon. The only people who celebrated were foreigners living here, who most likely struggled to find events to attend and created their own party, basically taking over Tokyo's Yamanote loop train. With enthusiastic contribution by Japanese who wanted to be a nail that sticks out, these gaijin hosted their own party inside the train, no doubt freaking out disgusted commuters on their way home from work. The "Yamanote Halloween Train" became one of the wildest Halloween celebrations around.
The organizers were never revealed but hundreds of people dressed in Halloween costumes converged upon Shinjuku Station, moved quickly to evade authorities, and then boarded a designated train as it pulled into the station. It was always only one train and which train it would be was usually kept a secret until right before the event. In later years (the last one was in 2009) it seemed quite random though.
The main concept of the party was for attendees to board the Yamanote Line and travel its whole loop around the perimeter of Tokyo (approximately one hour), hopping from car to car between each of the 29 stops. I remember hearing English teacher friends say that if their school found out that they rode the Halloween train, they’d lose their jobs.
Most of the Japanese in general HATED it. Protests became near violent. Here is a gaijin and his Japanese mate making fun of a drunk and/or sleepy Japanese salaryman.
Japanese 2009 protests
In Australia we never celebrated Halloween when I was growing up. In fact, my first Halloween was in Japan. That might have changed now as Australia has become more Yankeeised but I was never a fan of it. I also was no fan of the Yamanote Line party because I was always trying to be a decent citizen, forever a guest in this country, and the foreigners on the trains always reflected poorly on us gaijin as a whole I thought. I also was randomly frisked and interrogated inside Shinjuku station in 2007 by Japanese police, insisting I was part of the party. I was actually on my way to the Aikido Hombu dojo and showed them my dogi. One smart ass cop said that could be my costume.
In 2009, there was a massive protest that actually seemed to work, as it was the last year of the gaijin train. I think the words on the signs are quite horrible, but I do also understand frustration that the locals had.
It’s ironic that Shibuya Halloween has now become a Japanese tradition.
Rionne McAvoy is the director of the award-winning documentary The One's Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan, showcasing his dedication to addressing pressing social issues. A committed documentary filmmaker and professional wrestler, he explores critical themes with passion and insight. Additionally, he has a keen interest in post-World War II Japan, particularly the intricate connections between politicians and gangsters during that era. Known in the wrestling ring as Rionne Fujiwara, he brings the same determination and storytelling prowess from his wrestling persona to his filmmaking endeavors.
Great read. They should totally bring back the Yamanote Party or let it be officially organized. Sell tickets for charity! I can understand why some locals might be annoyed, but seriously, it takes a few mins to wait to the next train, right? Instead the protestors spend hours making signs and traveling to the protest? Get a life, put on a costume and enjoy the party. If it was after 9pm start, rush hour was over. If the person was upset, they could deboard and take the next train all of 4 mins later! But some people hate to see other people happy when they are so miserable.