Halloween in Tokyo wasn’t always the city-wide, oftentimes rowdy, event it is today. What began as a niche, foreign oddity has since morphed into a spectacle that grips the capital every October. From the carefully curated fantasy world of Tokyo Disneyland to the mayhem of Shibuya’s street parties, Halloween has found a new, uniquely Japanese life in Tokyo, blending the eerie with the extravagant in ways only this metropolis can.
The Quiet, Curious Start
Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Halloween was little more than an expat indulgence, relegated to gated communities and international school events. Trick-or-treating? Only if you knew which suburban enclave had enough Westerners to make it happen. Even then, the spectacle of children dressed as ghosts or witches was met with bemusement by locals who, at best, viewed Halloween as a passing foreign oddity. For most Tokyo residents, the idea of a night dedicated to the macabre was as alien as the carved pumpkins glowing in the windows of expat homes. It was niche, confusing and something that clearly belonged to “outsiders.”
The Turning Point
According to locals, Halloween first made its appearance in Japan in the 1970s at Kiddy Land in Harajuku. By 1983, the store was hosting Halloween parades to push product sales. But the real shift came in 1997, when Tokyo Disneyland unveiled its first Halloween event. And in true Disney fashion, there was an emphasis on cuteness. Forget the blood and gore — Disneyland’s Halloween was a pastel-hued dream where Jack-o’-lanterns grinned innocently and beloved Disney characters donned cute costumes rather than anything remotely sinister. It was Halloween, sanitized and softened for a Japanese audience that had little connection to the holiday’s darker, more gothic roots.
Tokyo Disneyland’s sugary interpretation caught on like wildfire. In a city where seasonal events are almost religiously observed, Halloween slipped seamlessly into the lineup. Amusement parks across Japan, department stores and shopping districts began to capitalize on the holiday, throwing costume contests and lining their shelves with pumpkin-flavored everything. Slowly, Tokyo was becoming enamored with Halloween, albeit a more playful, less menacing version than its Western counterpart.
The Explosion
If Disneyland was the gentle spark, Shibuya was the explosion. By the mid-2010s, Shibuya’s streets became the chaotic, beating heart of Tokyo Halloween. What started as a modest gathering of costume enthusiasts spiraled into a full-blown street party. By nightfall, Shibuya’s iconic crossing had transformed into a sea of humanity — zombies, anime characters, vampires and the occasional absurd mashup that defies explanation — all converging in a spectacle of costumed madness.
One reason Halloween has thrived in Tokyo is its perfect synergy with Japan’s already-established cosplay culture. Long before Halloween costumes became a fixture, Tokyo was home to a thriving scene of anime and manga fans who would painstakingly recreate their favorite characters in detailed cosplay. For them, Halloween was just another opportunity to go all out, only this time with a twist of the spooky and surreal.
Looking Forward
With each passing year, Tokyo’s obsession with Halloween seems to grow more intense, more extravagant and more commercial. What was once a strange import has now fully embedded itself in the city’s DNA. While it’s easy to lament the commercialization, the fact remains that Tokyo has given the holiday a unique spin that blends its love for performance, fashion and creative self-expression.
However, as the holiday grows, so do the challenges. Shibuya’s street parties, drawing in more than 1 million people in recent years, have caused a significant strain on public services, leading city officials to enforce stricter regulations. Drinking on the streets around the station is now banned year-round. Shibuya’s neighbor, Shinjuku, also recently passed an ordinance prohibiting drinking on the street in the Kabukicho area during Halloween. This year, they’ve banned drinking on the streets of both Shibuya and Kabukicho during Halloween. Still, it’s hard to imagine Tokyo’s Halloween fading away anytime soon. The spectacle is too big, the allure too strong.
Tokyo is struggling to balance the exuberant energy of Halloween with the quiet orderliness that typically defines its public spaces. The city, known for its strict adherence to rules and respect for shared environments, faces a difficult question: how to embrace the spectacle and freedom of Halloween without allowing it to spiral out of control. Whether Tokyo’s Halloween will continue to thrive or be further restrained remains uncertain, but the wildness of it all has cemented its place in the city’s cultural fabric.
