Ask any Westerner what’s so special about October 31 and you will get the same answer: Halloween – a modern-day version of the ancient Celtic harvest festival Samhain. In Japan, however, October 31 was just any old day until fairly recently, with the haunted hijinks never really catching on until a few years ago.
But here’s the kicker: the Japanese might already be doing Halloween better than we do!
Virtually non-existent in Japan a decade ago, you can now find Halloween goods anywhere from the 100 yen discount store to your neighborhood bakery. Known worldwide for cosplaying, the Japanese don’t take costume-wearing lightly, so people are going all-out on this spooky night and their success and enthusiasm is surprising Japanese and foreigners alike – in the best way! Have a look at this spook-tacular video featuring Halloween celebrations in Shibuya, one of Tokyo’s busiest areas:
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCNFA90H38Q
Most foreigners who commented on the video were quite impressed, applauding the crowds of ghosts, ferries, nurses and excessive number of zombies. The costumes have a lot of Western influence but also show their own Japanese touch in diversity, ingenuity and group themes. Some non-Japanese YouTube commenters had nothing but praise and sometimes even a green hint of envy for the costume-clad Tokyoites:
“Nice to see young Japanese people embracing the spirit of Halloween more and more every year. ”
“JAPAN IS AMAZING!!!”
“They are amazing. Such dedication and what an amount of different characters!”
“I’d love the celebrate Halloween in Japan one day.”
“Why do I feel like Japan does everything so much better? Even a European holiday like Halloween looks so much cooler there.”
“Those are the coolest and scariest Halloween costumes that I’ve ever seen!”
So what do you think? Does Japan do Halloween even better than trick-or-treaters in the West? Let us know in the comments section below!
Source: CuRAZY
Video: YouTube (Tokyo Fashion)