Costumed beauties, noisy motorcycles and modified cars, and foreign tourists flooded into the area… “Halloween in chaos” in Osaka’s Minami district.

Halloween is an event that is surrounded by not-so-good news every year, such as drinking on the street, molestation, and trouble over fights. This year, too, the day was celebrated in various places.

In Shibuya, the Shibuya Ward and local shopping areas had set up banners and other signs to prevent people from gathering, but as a result, the area was overflowing with people, and a large number of police officers were mobilized to guard the crowds. However, no one was seen drinking on the streets, and the event ended surprisingly peacefully.

Meanwhile, the streets of Osaka’s Minami district were filled with people enjoying Halloween with alcohol in hand.

At around 7:00 p.m. on October 31, as has become customary, a line was set up on the sidewalk on the Glico sign side of the Dotonbori Bridge, and police officers repeatedly called out to people not to stay there. Police vehicles were deployed at intersections around Dotonbori, where many people gathered, and measures were taken to prevent suspicious vehicles from entering the area. The Osaka Prefectural Police had 200 police officers on duty to provide security. The Ebisu Bridge was on high alert with a large number of riot police deployed.

Around 7:30 p.m., the bridge was crowded with people and gradually became so small that one could barely pass each other. Many people stopped to take pictures, and the police officers repeatedly publicized the fact that they had to move.

The police officer repeatedly announced to the crowd to move out of the way. Spider-Man is blocking the way. You ‘ re causing trouble for the people behind you, so move quickly.

At 8:15 p.m., the Ebisu Bridge was finally restricted due to the danger of people falling over the bridge. Many pedestrians on the Ebisu Bridge were separated to the left and right under the guidance of police officers, and by 9:00 p.m., there were completely no ordinary people on the bridge.

However, several Korean tourists, perhaps intoxicated by the crowds, became ill and were taken into police custody, and were taken away by ambulance. There were also scenes of confusion as ambulances took a long time to arrive due to traffic jams and other problems.

Foreign tourists were thrilled by the sound of blasting motorcycles and modified cars.

This time, the Ebisu Bridge was closed until around 24:30. Last year, police officers guided the visitors and Ebisubashi Bridge was closed to one-way traffic, but this time, the bridge was closed due to the huge crowds. Due to these restrictions, the Shinsaibashisuji and Ebisubashisuji shopping streets were overflowing with people, resulting in a tremendous crowd.

Around 9:00 p.m., the flow of people turned to Amerika-mura near Shinsaibashi, and Mitsu Park, also known as Sankaku Park, was transformed into a festival site with loud music playing and people gathering to enjoy themselves. Midosuji Avenue was jammed with many cars, but motorcycles and modified cars running with roaring explosions were conspicuous here and there.

Among them, there were many noisy scenes with foreigners in the gallery requesting and receiving motorcycles with mufflers blasting in the air. Also, the Honda Civic, Skyline, and other cars that are very popular among foreigners gathered one after another, and the excitement of the foreigners was still more intense than ever.

After 24:00, when the last train ran out, young men and women began to sit on the ground talking to each other, and some even got drunk and fell asleep. At the same time, fights and pickups broke out here and there.

Pick-ups were particularly noticeable. At one place, a woman said to a group of men who were persistently calling out to her, “You guys are really persistent. Don’t be so clingy. Get out of here! The women were also seen hurling harsh words at the men who persistently called out to them.

By 2:00 a.m., the number of people began to dwindle, and all that remained were drunken people, empty cans of alcohol and other beverages, trash, and a street surface stained with alcohol. It was a night when I would not be surprised if the streets of Osaka’s Minami district will soon be closed to drinking like those in Shibuya ward.