Alternatives to Halloween in Shibuya

I arrived earlier this year and this will be my first Halloween in Japan. From what I’ve read and seen in videos, the Shibuya event (that’s cancelled again this year but apparently people show up anyway) is packed to the point that it seems to take away from the fun, since you’re packed in between a lot of people and can’t really move.
The alternatives I’ve find on the web for Shibuya are either just family oriented or bars. Does anyone know any alternative that is more akin to the Shibuya tradition except the anime cosplay event that isn’t really Halloween themed?

5 comments
  1. They still do the Yamanote Line Halloween party where many dress up and ride around on the train? I haven’t been young in years.

  2. There was never any “event.” The “event” was going to Shibuya and walking around. Some people…most…also stopped in Lawsons to buy alcohol, get drunk on the streets, grope women, and tip over small vehicles while walking around.
    None of that was sponsored by Shibuya. It’s more of a people watching thing because the old Yamanote Line Halloween got fucked up with people bathing in Strong Zero and swinging on the bars like hooligans.

  3. There are dozens of videos on Youtube that show exactly what it will be like so you can decide if its your thing or not.

    There’s a few obvious ways of avoiding Shibuya station like Harajuku or Meji-jingu Mae, grabbing drinks and then walking to Miyashita Park. That’s the edge and from there it’s easy to decide how deep you want to go or to just nope out and turn around.

  4. I haven’t seen anything outdoors, but, as you might expect, a lot of parties for children have been scheduled. One I knew of was on Tuesday, 24 October.

    I commute on the Inokashira Line (which terminates in Shibuya) and recall maybe 4 or 5 young people per year for a period of six or seven years wearing costumes while headed toward Shibuya on or near Hallowe’en. It’s hardly a tradition.

  5. I’m so glad I got to experience the whole Halloween in Shibuya thing pre-covid, it was pretty crazy and crowded! It really isn’t an organised ‘event’ as such, but more hoards of people gathering in the streets and taking pics of all the crazy costumes, and many of them were amazing. It was a pretty amazing atmosphere!

    I think there might be something similar in Ikebukuro too, and the bake Neko festival always looks interesting too

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