Halloween in Shibuya is one occasion when Tokyo’s normally orderly revelers get a little bit wild. With the costumed crowds growing from 70,000 people in 2015 to an expected one million this year, it’s not too surprising that things reportedly got a little out of hand this past weekend. As we (and police, no doubt) gear up for one more night of street partying on October 31, here’s a quick look at the best and worst moments of Tokyo Halloween 2018 so far – as captured on Instagram.
The Best Costumes
The festivities kicked off on the weekend before Halloween with a colorful crowd gathering near Shibuya’s famous scramble crossing. From the obligatory Jack Sparrow costume to the bullet-draped Terminator, the costumes were so realistic that we’re beginning to wonder if everyone in Tokyo is a secret makeup artist. Other memorable costumes included decadent zombie maids, ghostly brides, and creepy IT clowns.
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The Worst: Overturned Truck, Five Arrested, and the Big Cleanup
At around 1am on Sunday, several people overturned a small truck, jumping on top of it and causing damage to its left door. The driver was fortunately uninjured, but police were called to control the situation and plenty of shocked onlookers took to Instagram and Twitter to express outrage at the behavior.
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View this post on Instagram
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In separate incidents, police officers arrested five men on suspicion of groping female party-goers and attempting to take photos or videos up their skirts. There were also reportedly plenty of complaints from store and restaurant owners who said customers weren’t able to easily enter or leave their shops due to the rambunctious crowds.
And what happened after the party was over? According to the Shibuya Ward office, last year approximately 7.8 tons of garbage was collected after the giant street party. It was more of the same this year, with streets and public toilets littered with cans, glass from broken bottles, costume props, and other Halloween accessories.
So if you’re out on Wednesday night in Shibuya and ready to toss aside your Titan costume, spare a thought for the volunteers who’ll be showing up with their pumpkin-shaped orange garbage bags, work gloves and tongs for the cleanup.
