Halloween is approaching! Starting tonight in Shibuya, Tokyo, drinking on the street and selling alcohol in supermarkets will not be allowed

On the eve of Halloween on the 31st, the police and the ward office jointly implemented traffic control around JR Shibuya Station in Tokyo from the evening of the 30th. The police used a loudspeaker at the intersection to appeal for cooperation. At 5 p.m., there were many people at the scene, but almost no one was in disguise. The order at the scene was generally good, and "Goodbye Bad Halloween" banners were hung around to remind people to pay attention.

Some commercial facilities will close early for safety reasons and post notices refusing to enter the store in disguise. Shibuya City Office staff will patrol busy streets from the evening of the 30th to advise against drinking and littering on the streets. On Halloween, the 31st, supermarkets will be asked to suspend the sale of alcohol until the evening. The same measures are adopted around Kabukicho in Shinjuku District.

Halloween in Shibuya has been chaotic in the past. In the early morning of October 28, 2018, when about 40,000 people gathered, a light truck was overturned by a cross-dressing crowd on Center Street, causing social problems. The following year, Shibuya City enacted regulations prohibiting drinking on the road during Halloween, and gradually strengthened security, patrols, traffic control around stations, supermarkets stopped selling alcoholic beverages, blocked the area around the statue of the loyal dog Hachi, and restricted the use of electric scooters.

This year, the way young people celebrate the festival has also changed. Respondents said they will go to karaoke or participate in regular cross-dressing activities in Ikebukuro. They will change clothes in the dressing room, refrain from drinking, and take photos in designated locations to avoid causing trouble. Ikebukuro's Halloween event, co-organized by the company and Toshima City, attracted more than 160,000 people over three days last year. This year, there was a long queue before the event opened on the 30th. It emphasized abiding by the rules and enjoying it with peace of mind.