Halloween in Japan - A Splash of Humor on How Japanese Celebrate it

Halloween in Japan.. ah yes. From time to time we get some cultural info. requests like, "Do Japanese celebrate Halloween?" The answer is they most certainly do. But not quite or at all the way it is traditionally celebrated in America or different countries. The Japanese have kind of done away with the whole "trick or treat" style of celebration where doors get knocked on with kids getting "tricked or treated".

Halloween in Japan in Kobe in a Bar

Instead of having Halloween take place in suburbs with kids racing around from house to house to get their treats it takes place in the streets of Japan with the unique twist that only the Japanese can give. usually run in large covered street malls called "shotengai" in Japanese.

The Japanese style Halloween in Tokyo or any other major city for that matter consists of adults getting trashed in bars and bar hopping from  bar to  bar and because of the slick and quick transit system jumping from city to city is a cinch. Really... why just party in Kobe when you can keep it rolling in Osaka later on? 

You will also run into a few fall celebrations in various cities in early  October which will have haunted houses, costume contests, face painting and food booths. These are uTo many, Japanese girls it gives them the occasion to dress like Playboy bunnies and show their goodies, something they could never get away with on any other day. 

While the men get to dress like their favorite celebrities and show off their six pack abs or crazy sense of humor without the social stigma of "being out of line",  "weird"  or socially dysfunctional in some way or another. There is no "out of line" because the line gets bent. And to be honest their aren't many other celebrations in fall so it just flat-out fits right in as the perfect reason to crack a cold one or twelve and paint the town red. 

Tons of shops in which shop owners hand out candy to the kiddies. Not so many people dress up so it pales in comparison to what most people from foreign countries are accustomed to. The one notable exception is suburban areas with large expatriate communities 

Halloween in Japan - Osaka at a Karaoke Bar

Instead of having it take place in suburbs with kids racing around from house to house to get their treats it takes place in the streets of Japan with the unique twist that only the Japanese can give.

The Japanese style Halloween in Tokyo or any other major city for that matter consists of adults getting trashed in bars and bar hopping from area bar to area bar and because of the slick and quick transit, from city to city. Really... why just party in Kobe when you can keep it rolling in Osaka later on? 

To many, Japanese girls it gives them the occasion to dress like Playboy bunnies and show their goodies, something they could never get away with on any other day.

While the men get to dress like their favorite celebrities and show off their six pack abs or crazy sense of humor without the social stigma of "being out of line",  "weird"  or socially dysfunctional in some way or another. There is no "out of line" because the line gets bent. And to be honest their aren't many other celebrations in fall so it just flat-out fits right in as the perfect reason to crack a cold one or twelve and paint the town blood red.

Halloween In Japan at USJ - Theme Parks & High-end Stuff

Universal Studios Halloween Bash - Osaka

If you want a more adult and "I'm scared witless" feel then you'll have to visit a theme park. They definitely have a more adult feeling to them. At the top of the list is the Japan's famous Universal Studio Japan Halloween party. When it comes to celebrating Halloween in Japan no one does it better than Universal Studio Japan. Located in Osaka.

Universal Studios Japan - Halloween Horror Nights

They have attractions for both adults and kids. At USJ they actually rate how scary some of the attractions are. Some are rated at 15. This means you must be at least 15 years old to enter the attraction.  In some attractions the zombie employees actually get to grab you. (You need to sign a waver that you understand what you are getting into.)

Ticket prices for 1 day is 7,600 yen including tax. A 2 day pass is 15,000 yen for adults. If you really groove on USJ you can pick up a season pass for adults for ¥25,800 ($238 USD). There are 20 black out days. If you don't groove on it that much and don't mind the black out days you can save some money.  ¥19,800 ($182.50 USD will get you a season pass with 70 - 75 black out days. Again these are adult prices.

Halloween in Japan - Can't you Just Smell the Money?

Some cities that are a bit more international like Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Kobe will sometimes have city sponsored events especially if there is an English school backing it all up.  Since Japan has no connection whatsoever with this ancient Celtic festival that was celebrated on November 1st btw., has taken on the roll like Christmas. It is an excuse for marketer to do what they do best. Market stuff. 

It must be Halloween. Japanese School girls and Darth Vader

Not to be left out of the financial loop, Halloween in Japan has been monetized well and brother we ain't kidding.  From the 100 yen shops donning full costumes, crazy wigs, face paint, hats, finger nails, Ninja costumes, bullet wounds, samurai swords, knives you name it and just about every kind of plastic mutilation device you can strap on, slip over and slip into.

Also, no stone left un-turned in the costume, makeup and accessory department as department stores gear up for the big event in late August.

And when we say "gear up" we mean it. From big monsters like Coca Cola (check out the pic on the left) down to smaller ones like chain coffee shops Starbucks and Tully's offering special little orange and black Halloween snacks to go with their coffee.

So if you want to treat yourself to seeing a different side of Japan, the kind that only this special holiday can bring out, then most definitely check out the pub and street scenes in any of the big cities to get an eye full of the wacky side of Japan.

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