Unable to pay attention due to the language barrier…Foreigners in costume and making a big fuss

Foreigners in costume at Halloween in Shibuya

The Halloween event in Shibuya Ward has established an image of young people dressing up in costumes and making a big fuss every year.’ In 2006, a young man was arrested for overturning a light truck.

In response, Shibuya Ward has been preparing for Halloween on high alert, fully utilizing police and private security guards to prevent any trouble from occurring, and hundreds of people were on hand for Halloween Day this year.

Simple barricades were set up in front of the station and on Center Street, and for days in advance, a thorough publicity campaign was put up stating that “Shibuya is not a venue for Halloween events. Security guards and police officers were stationed on the streets to prevent costumed visitors from gathering in one place, and to warn customers who stopped.

However, the young people and foreigners who wanted to enjoy Halloween did not seem to care about the wishes of Shibuya Ward, and the number of people who came to Shibuya was 20% higher than last year.

The majority of the revelers were foreigners, with very few Japanese in costume, and the only languages spoken were Chinese, English, and other foreign languages.

Patrols composed of police officers and private security guards seemed unable to pay attention to them due to the language barrier, and they had to use whistles and guide sticks to make them stop and quit taking pictures and talking to each other.

However, the number of security guards actively patrolling the area seemed to decrease over time, and after 11:00 p.m., they simply stood at the same points to guide people.

Perhaps because of this, the back part of the center street was chaotic, filled with crowds of people taking pictures and foreigners smoking on the street.

People rush to the car with the costumed guests…a near major incident!

Caution!　Costumed guests jumped in front of cars to take pictures

Near midnight, when the last train ran out, the foreigners who could not go home started to make a commotion. As I was watching the chaos, I suddenly heard horns and screams.

I turned toward them and saw two costumed guests in a convertible driving down the street, making a lot of noise.

Although the car was moving, the costumed guests jumped in front of the car and took pictures without regard to the car, creating a very dangerous situation.

There was a sense of tension at the scene, fearing that some people might be run over, but a security guard managed to notice and ran up to them, blowing his whistle and instructing them to slow down, which saved the day.