Foreigner threatens to punch a Minion while Donald Trump picks his nose amongst anime characters on Shibuya’s rowdiest night of the year.

It may not officially be Halloween just yet, but the celebrations have already begun in Japan, as the weekend before 31 October each year sees revellers descend upon places like Tokyo’s Shibuya Scramble Crossing for a night of cosplay, fun, and oftentimes, debauchery.

This year, however, Shibuya was determined not to see a repeat of last year’s shenanigans, where people were arrested for fighting, groping and truck-toppling. They took measures to curb drunken behaviour by placing a ban on alcohol sales and public drinking in the area…

And promoted a ”Shibuya Pride Shibuya Halloween” campaign to encourage people to take pride in Shibuya and not ruin it by letting it descend into chaos during Halloween.

They also posted “The Declaration of Better Manner to Enjoy Shibuya’s Halloween!” notices to let the public know the rules for Shibuya Halloween.

https://twitter.com/zackyzakcy/status/1188054237227311104

Fortunately, it looks their efforts to keep the peace were successful, as the Saturday night before Halloween — traditionally the busiest night of the celebrations — passed without major incident.

That’s not to say people weren’t out there having fun, though, as images and videos shared online showed the scramble crossing was crowded with revellers.

Cosplayers were also out in force, bringing colour to the streets with a variety of different characters.

https://twitter.com/suwahiro_tw/status/1188065016949329927

Shokupanman, the sliced bread character from Japanese children’s TV series Anpanman, was spotted in Shibuya, looking far more muscular in real life than he does in the anime.

https://twitter.com/18GINKO/status/1188055912394584064

▼ Krillin from Dragon Ball put on an energetic performance for passersby on the street.

▼ Young Link from Zelda was also out on a Shibuya adventure.

And with the Rugby World Cup still on in Japan, some cosplayers were inspired to dress up as South Africa’s François “Faf” de Klerk and Japan’s Kotaro Matsushima.

Others took a more humorous route with their outfits, with a sad clown livestreaming the event from unusual angles…

…and the recyclable plastic logo popping up to remind us of the importance of recycling.

Some costumes were so spooky they looked like they’d come from Kyoto’s Night Parade of 100 Demons.

▼ Several Sadakos slinked around the city streets….

While Pyramid Head from the Silent Hill series of horror video games took a partygoer home with him.

Surprisingly, there weren’t as many Jokers out on the streets as many had predicted.

https://twitter.com/t_a_t_u_k_i_/status/1188316168429244416

Still, Maleficent was there, being interviewed for a morning television programme.

Donald Trump also snuck in to make a surprise appearance, picking his nose while surrounded by members of the Secret Service.

▼ Slipknot prowled the streets…

▼ A Sailor Soldier was spotted on the train.

▼ And Aladdin was spotted commuting on his magic carpet.

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Some took the night as a chance to raise awareness about the protests going on in Hong Kong at the moment.

▼ Some people added bikes and smoke to their cosplay outfits…

https://twitter.com/shu7610/status/1188215906997956608

…while others dressed up their vehicles instead, blaring music and leaving people dancing on the streets as they passed by.

https://twitter.com/Hiyocomame69/status/1187500058205290496

▼ And it wasn’t just humans who dressed up, as even meerkats were spotted in cosplay.

https://twitter.com/maynomccartney/status/1188071018281127939 https://twitter.com/silvvvvaa/status/1188033334200299520

With so many people having fun on the streets of Shibuya, the police were out in force to stop trouble in its tracks, overlooking proceedings from their “DJ Booths” atop of vehicles.

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▼ And arriving quickly at scenes of tension to diffuse the situation.

https://twitter.com/Honor965/status/1188025345712082945

There was one disappointing encounter captured on camera, as a foreigner apparently lashed out at a local in a Minions costume. Police arrived immediately to prevent things from escalating further.

https://twitter.com/Colon_Plasser/status/1188132753784492032

As the night turned into day, volunteers came out in cosplay to help clean the streets and clear away trash from the celebrations.

It’s nice to see that visitors to Shibuya were able to celebrate Halloween without having to worry about some of the dangerous behaviour seen in the past.

Let’s hope the rest of the month goes smoothly in Shibuya, with the only brainless, zombie-like actions confined to the ward’s exclusive Ghost Burger King outlet, where they firmly belong on Halloween.

Source: Twitter/渋谷ハロウィン 
Featured image: Twitter/@Colon_Plasser
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