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Shibuya Halloween had a very different feel this year

Oona McGee Nov 1, 2024
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Tokyo’s biggest party hotspot looks nothing like it used to.

Shibuya used to be the place to go for costumed revelry on Halloween, but after unruly behaviour escalated in recent years, the ward has been clamping down on the unofficial outdoor party, with drinking bans on the street in place since 1 October this year.

When the no-drinking ordinance was first introduced a few years back, it wasn’t uncommon to see people flouting the rules, but this year it seems the rules are finally beginning to have some effect, with a much more serious vibe in the area.

▼ It seems the message is finally sinking in.

Our reporter Seiji Nakazawa recently moved in to Shibuya, and he sometimes sees empty cans of alcohol lined up on the flowerbeds in the Dogenzaka district, but over the past few days, when the partygoers are meant to be partying, those empty cans were nowhere to be seen.

During the day of Halloween, there was no unruly behaviour, and a number of businesses like the local Burger King were closed for the day, to stop people from congregating in the area.

Seiji had been concerned about returning home and walking through Shibuya after dark on 31 October, but when he alighted at the station at 6 p.m., the crowds that usually make their way through the station for Halloween weren’t there.

However, when he climbed the stairs from the basement and entered Hachiko Square outside the station, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

The streets were like something out of a police state, with the voice of the Metropolitan Police Department echoing all over the place. Listening closely, Seiji could make out that it was a traffic controller, saying things like, “Yes, it’s a nice costume, but please don’t stop!” It sounded bizarre to hear these police announcements echoing so loudly, and it made Seiji feel as if he’d stepped into an apocalyptic film.

Crossing over the scramble crossing and heading into Center Gai, one of the main hubs for partygoers, Seiji estimated there were about five times as many people here as usual, but that could’ve been due to the controls on foot traffic, with barriers set up to direct people into the narrow thoroughfare on one side and direct them out on the other side.

Most of the people, like Seiji, were heading into Center Gai, and it was so crowded Seiji feared there could be a crush if the line stopped for any reason.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department stood in a line in the middle, ready to reprimand anyone who stopped or held up the line. The constant flux of people and the supervision by officers made it impossible for anyone in costume to linger.

At this time of night, Seiji didn’t see anybody drinking on the street, and although he can’t say for sure whether this was the case all night, the intense police presence would certainly make drinking or gathering anywhere near impossible.

The police department wasn’t leaving anything to chance in Shibuya, with convoys of police buses lined up on the street. It’s clear that Shibuya Ward officials weren’t joking when they told the public that Shibuya was closed for Halloween.

While partygoers might be disappointed with the way things have changed in Shibuya at Halloween, for residents and locals like Seiji, who simply have to walk through the area to get home, there’s a sense of relief that safety has been restored in the area. Here’s hoping that sense of safety and security remains present next Halloween.

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