Celebrating the Halloween Season in Japan

 

In the United States, the weeks leading up to Halloween are always an exciting and memorable time. At this point there are too many Halloween traditions to count, most notably the decorations, the costumes, and for the kids, trick or treating. That said, many of these traditions are not as common outside of the US. However, in recent years more people from around the world have started to celebrate Halloween, including Japan. But as you might expect, the way in which these traditions have been adopted have led to some interesting differences.

Until recently, Japan’s only exposure to Halloween came in the form of American media. Movies, cartoons and books  imported from the US often contain references to the Halloween season, which gradually led to an increased awareness of the holiday among the Japanese. As a result, Halloween in Japan has much in common with the US at a basic level. It is a celebration of the strange and macabre, and an opportunity to dress up as any outlandish character you can think of.

Many other things one might expect from the season also emerge, such as Halloween themed products in stores, and an increased focus on released horror movies and other media. But when you take a closer look at Halloween day, we begin to see the most key differences.

Most notable is the difference in demographic. While Halloween tends to offer enjoyment to people of all ages, the focus in American is mostly on kids. Going from house to house collecting candy is a memory that many people who grew up in the US share. In contrast, trick or treating is rarely practiced in Japan. While Japanese children might participate in Halloween-themed activities in school or at home, the act of going door to door looking for candy is not widely practiced, and considered unusual.

Instead, Halloween celebrations mostly revolve around teens and young adults. Costume parties are increasingly common in Japan, especially in urban centers like Tokyo. These events might be held privately, but the most noticeable are the huge outdoor gathering hosted by bars, clubs and communities. Costume parades are also a popular activity on the night of Halloween, with crowds of people gathering to show off their costumes, drink, and celebrate. Costumes vary widely, from old school monsters like vampires and zombies to popular characters from movies, video games and anime.

These celebrations have only gotten bigger and bigger in the last few years, which suggests that the adoption of Halloween by the Japanese will only grow more widespread in the future. It is good to see so many people enjoying new traditions, and evolving their own unique ways of celebrating them. While these large scale celebrations will certainly be less prominent this year, hopefully they will continue to be enjoyed for years to come.