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Hilariously mundane cosplays from “Jimi Halloween” 2020 in Tokyo【Photos】

Oona McGee Nov 1, 2020
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Japan’s plainest cosplay event steals the show this Halloween.

Halloween is a holiday that fits in well with Japan’s cosplay culture, and as we’ve seen during past celebrations centred around Tokyo’s Shibuya scramble crossing, people go all out with the costumes, turning the area into a sea of colour, sparkle… and shenanigans.

However, there is an antithesis to these bright and out-there costume displays in the city, and it’s called “Jimi Halloween“. Literally translating to “Plain Halloween“, this subdued cosplay event first started in 2014 when a group of company workers from website Daily Portal Z wanted to celebrate Halloween but were too embarrassed to dress up in full-on costumes.

Every year, Jimi Halloween has grown bigger and more popular, and this year they expanded to include remote participants due to the pandemic, so that those wary of attending the event — held this year at the Futako Tamagawa Rise shopping complex in Tokyo’s Setagawa Ward — could still join in the fun through video calls and social media.

▼ The socially distanced event took place across three time slots throughout the day on 31 October.

夜の部始まりました！古賀さんの元気！

#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/yUW3chMxXD

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

Finding the humour in everyday situations is at the centre of what makes Jimi Halloween so hilarious and relatable. It also acts as a looking glass into current topics, and this year the plastic shopping bag featured heavily in a number of cosplays, due to the fact that a new law charging customers 2 to 5 yen (US$0.02 – $0.05) for plastic bags with purchases was introduced in stores around the country from 1 July.

▼ Struggling to fit everything into a two-yen bag.

2円の袋で頑張る人#地味ハロウィン #DPZ pic.twitter.com/zmaebN2TuN

— ハチロクの北上 (@kashiramozik) October 31, 2020

▼ Person who won’t buy a bag, at all costs.

意地でもレジ袋を買わないやつ#地味ハロウィン pic.twitter.com/FVZnHoAvXy

— 藤吉(とうきち)@ (@toukitiq) October 30, 2020

▼ Person who regrets saying no to a bag at the supermarket.

https://twitter.com/ka_i_me_n/status/1322297423444668417

Another accessory featuring heavily in this year’s cosplays was the face mask, which has become a hot topic of conversation not just in Japan but worldwide, in light of the global pandemic.

▼ Person who didn’t unfurl the folds of his face mask properly.

マスクに折り目をつけない人やってました#地味ハロウィン #DPZ pic.twitter.com/LdNw3XY9CC

— い (@izayoi_0512) October 31, 2020

▼ Man secretly growing a beard under his mask.

マスクの下でこっそりひげを伸ばした人
#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/xwLB1znkM6

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

▼ Person who who wears a mask because of a shaving blunder.

ひげ剃りの失敗をマスクに救われた人

#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/b4ec4hCcHd

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

▼ Person who forgot they were wearing a mask and ate a corn dog.

#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2020 #DPZ

マスクしてるの忘れて、アメリカンドックを食べた人(既出でしたらすみません) pic.twitter.com/WxeLVGPM0c

— ねもっ血風クン/ねもっち、かぜクン (@icg10113) October 29, 2020

If we’re talking about masks, there really has to be a mention of resellers. These unscrupulous individuals caused the face coverings to become scarce and prices to skyrocket, prompting the Japanese government to enact a law banning the resale of masks earlier this year.

▼ “Reseller Failure” shows a reseller with a 65-pack of masks coming down from 8,000 yen (US$76) to 700 yen as they became more widely available.

転売失敗

#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/OrttWWUWDi

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

Other relatable topics for 2020 included:

▼ When the virtual background covers a person’s face during a Zoom call.

https://twitter.com/Purin_Hayasaka/status/1322169401844531202

▼ Person who only dressed the visible part of their body for a web conference.

Web会議のために見える部分だけちゃんとしようとした人 #地味ハロウィン #DPZ #地味ハロウィン2020 pic.twitter.com/hd1deHatep

— さくらいみか (@skrimk0218) October 31, 2020

▼ Person who goes out shopping after hearing about a toilet paper shortage.

トイレットペーパー品薄と聞いて買い回っている人#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/VSUtvUjpUi

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

▼ Person who doesn’t realise the Tokyo Olympics has been postponed.

東京オリンピックが延期になったことに気づいてない人
#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/01s6c6jr4p

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

▼ Zookeeper with pandas clinging to their feet.

パンダが足にまとわりついてしまう飼育員#地味ハロウィン #DPZ pic.twitter.com/GlHyjuZJ5R

— チカ (@chica_1107) October 31, 2020

Other Jimi Halloween cosplays provided commentary on Japan’s working, dining and shopping cultures…

▼ Guy who won’t lose to adverse winds or adverse situations.

#地味ハロウィン
今年の仮装は『向かい風』

逆風にも逆境にも負けないぞ！
という思いを込めて。#地味ハロウィン2020 #DPZ pic.twitter.com/3pbSkPjJB5

— 大田翔 (@ota_sho_34) October 31, 2020

▼ Corporate slave emailing at the station platform.

駅のホームで緊急対応に追われてる社畜 #地味ハロウィン pic.twitter.com/G6h44XYzM9

— meme (@memedsn) October 31, 2020

▼ Salaryman who mistakenly put dashi broth into his glass instead of water at a tsukemen noodle restaurant .

つけ麺屋でお水と思ってコップにお出汁を注いじゃったサラリーマン#地味ハロウィン #DPZ pic.twitter.com/HbWyQ9WARI

— 烈風改 (@A7M3JSAM) October 31, 2020

▼ Person who uses an empty gum bottle as a pen holder.

ボトルガムが空いたのでペンたてにしている人。みんなやるよねこれ。 #地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/a0HhAUpxpn

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

▼ The P.E. teacher who’s always in sweats wears a suit for students’ graduation day.

普段ジャージだが、卒業式の時だけスーツ着る体育教師。#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2020 #DPZ #メルハロアワード #グルハロ #今日の一変化 pic.twitter.com/Cg8MSyyiB4

— おたまじゃくし中西 (@nakanishiryouta) October 31, 2020

▼ Uniqlo Mannequin.

今年はユニクロのマネキンの仮装をしました。#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2020 #DPZ pic.twitter.com/ugo1ULOjTF

— 少年B (@raira21) October 31, 2020

▼ The solo booth curtain counter from Ichiran Ramen.

味集中カウンター#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/f3iMQ7zoWQ

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

And there were some mentions of cafe and home life too.

▼ Person in quiet despair because there’s no free seat with a power point in the cafe they’ve ducked into.

飛び込んだカフェに電源席が無く静かに絶望する人
#地味ハロウィン #DPZ pic.twitter.com/zzNTvX3rj4

— サイバーおかん⚡️ (@1_design) October 31, 2020

▼ Your aunt, who comes and brings all sorts of stuff to give you just as you’re leaving.

帰り際にいろいろ持たせてくれる親戚のおばちゃん

#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/kGRWmv052z

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

▼ Long cord for a Japanese ceiling light. This ubiquitous cord, found in many traditional homes, is dangling from a rod here, with the participant dressed in black like a bunraku stagehand.

蛍光灯の紐の仮装

#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/UaDLK0HYBW

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

These non-human cosplays also made people laugh during Halloween.

▼ Caution: Wildlife sign.

動物注意の標識
#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/ZE2jg0suR1

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

▼ This person dressed up as the pillar from Shibuya Club Quattro.

「渋谷クアトロの柱」の仮装。
あのめちゃめちゃ邪魔なやつだ……！#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2020 #DPZ pic.twitter.com/HfWdaFpR70

— じきるう　編集者 (@zikilluu) October 31, 2020

▼ The dummy in the first aid room at a driving school.

自動車教習所の応急救護室に置いてあるやつ。#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2020 #DPZ #メルハロアワード #グルハロ #今日の一変化 pic.twitter.com/mcHza0NW1P

— おたまじゃくし中西 (@nakanishiryouta) October 31, 2020

▼ New model silicon love doll, from Japanese company Oriental Industry.

https://twitter.com/okmt73/status/1322383866674376706

The fact that people were participating on social media from real-world settings added another layer of interest to the costumes this year.

▼ Person whose convenience store latte didn’t get all its milk.

コンビニのカフェラテの牛乳全然出てこなかった人#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2020 pic.twitter.com/JThVWwkBkG

— 杉山優華 (@fbyuuka) October 26, 2020

▼ Person waiting outside the store for their family to finish shopping.

イオンの通路で家族の買い物が終わるのを待ってる人#地味ハロウィン pic.twitter.com/08tuxuy7AC

— 羊と羽 (@0520Megane) October 25, 2020

▼ A Tokyo salaryman who overslept on the train and ended up at Atami Station.

電車を寝過ごして熱海駅まで来てしまった都内勤務のサラリーマン#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2020 pic.twitter.com/mhGkzsLCsd

— 🏝もかちーの🦊 (@mo_cha_chi) October 31, 2020

▼ Person who gets caught up in a street piano performance and then apologises for being in the way of other people’s cameras.

ストリートピアノで演奏に夢中になりすぎて他の人のカメラに入ってしまい気を使う人#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2020 pic.twitter.com/aspuNe1pRg

— ふみ (@fumi23tv) October 31, 2020

Some foreign participants found ways to poke fun at “gaijin” stereotypes.

▼ The foreigner looking for fuzoku (adult entertainment).

風俗を探す外国人#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2020 #DPZ pic.twitter.com/SRYkP9hnEs

— アソビカイギ (@asobikaigi) October 31, 2020

▼ The overseas exchange student whose dream it was to come to Japan overdoes it and the person who came to meet him pulls away because it’s more than expected.

日本に夢を抱いてやってきた留学生と、予想以上だったのでやや引いている出迎え#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
生中継と詳細はこちら→https://t.co/qy1Ht4Z1Wy pic.twitter.com/Ez7YvYOJyn

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 31, 2020

As it turns out, the Jimi Halloween event has become so popular it’s even spread to Taiwan, which held a “Down to Earth” Halloween event this year.

#地味ハロウィンが台湾でも開催されて笑うw pic.twitter.com/K7U5LrzBsN

— やんち@中国駐在3年生 (@Yanchi_JFR) October 30, 2020

With Taiwan now taking part in “Plain Halloween,” who knows where the hilariously mundane cosplay event will turn up next? Hopefully more countries will join in the fun with their own events next year.

These clever cosplayers prove that anyone can dress up and make a memorable statement at Halloween, without the need for expensive outfits or low-cut tops and revealing, figure-hugging costumes. Although, if that’s more your style, there’s a place for that too.

Source: Twitter/地味ハロウィン 2020
Featured image: Pakutaso
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