A billboard near Shibuya Station in Tokyo warns against unauthorized outdoor Halloween gatherings, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
TOKYO — The mayor of a city ward that attracts throngs of drunken, costumed revelers for unofficial street parties each Halloween hopes a virtual celebration will help keep the peace.
Shibuya — the pulsing center of Tokyo known for its shopping, nightlife and iconic scramble crosswalk — became a popular place to spend Halloween night in the early 2000s.
But a deadly crowd stampede at a similar celebration last year in South Korea’s capital has prompted destinations like Shibuya to take a second look at crowd management and security.
“I ask those planning to visit Shibuya on Oct. 31 or days prior for Halloween to rethink their plans,” Mayor Ken Hasebo said at a Sept. 12 news conference.
He renewed that plea in a video posted to the website for Virtual Halloween, a metaverse created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The experience is a partnership between Shibuya ward’s tourism association and telecom company KDDI.
“Many people gather in Shibuya every year,” Hasebo said in the video. “Annoyance acts by some people, such as troubles caused by on-street drinking, a great amount of littering and noise, have become a social issue.”
A sign near Shibuya Station in Tokyo warns against unauthorized outdoor Halloween gatherings, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Those who download the Virtual Halloween app — available free from the Apple Store and Google Play — can create avatars, dress them up in costumes and explore a digital recreation of Shibuya.
Virtual Shibuya will also be dressed up for Halloween between Friday and Tuesday, complete with jack-o’-lanterns, bats and ghosts.
A variety of musicians and comedians are scheduled to perform virtually during the event. Fruits Zipper, a seven-member idol group known for the hit “Watashino Ichiban Kawaii Tokoro,” will take the stage Halloween night.
Avatars will be able to interact with one another, according to KDDI, and there will be opportunities to communicate with the musicians and comedians.
“I hope that Virtual Halloween has contributed as a way to solve social issues as well as a way to convey new culture for Shibuya,” Hasebe said in the video.
Only time can tell whether revelers will be scared away by Shibuya’s repeated requests to keep out on Halloween.
Just in case, the ward plans to place about 100 security guards in the scramble crossing area on Saturday and Tuesday. No drinking will be allowed on the streets near Shibuya Station between Friday evening and early Wednesday. The ward has asked 35 shops in the area to refrain from selling alcohol during this period.
