Roppongi Illumination Young People Risk Safety for Perfect Shots

The reason why dangerous activities are happening at illumination spots.

Every year, the streets of Minato Ward, Roppongi, are decorated with beautiful illuminations, including the keyaki-zaka Illumination. At Roppongi Hills, the area is lit up over a span of approximately 400 meters from November 7th to December 25th, 2024.

Keyaki-zaka, decorated with illuminations, is a popular photo spot because it offers many photogenic opportunities, attracting many people who come to take pictures. However, dangerous behaviors like jumping into the road to capture the lights or ignoring traffic signals have become frequent.

When visiting the location to investigate further, I observed more dangerous behaviors than expected. Why are these hazardous actions being left unchecked? After further investigation, something surprising was revealed.

As soon as I arrived at Keyaki-zaka, what caught my eye was the sight of people crowding together to take pictures of the illuminations, while security guards shouted, “Please don’t push,” and “Please don’t stop here” to those trying to take photos.

In particular, the crosswalk, where people could take great pictures, had an overwhelming line of people, causing a situation where it was impossible to walk straight.

When I spoke with two university girls wearing matching white coats who were taking photos, they expressed regret about not being able to take pictures on the crosswalk and said:

“It seems like there are a lot of foreign tourists here? They’re much bigger, and I’m scared of getting pushed or shoved and getting hurt, so we decided to take pictures from a safer place. We’ve been coming here for a few years, but this year, there’s been a huge increase in foreign tourists.”

When I spoke to a group of three women who had run into the middle of the street to film for TikTok, they nonchalantly talked about their dangerous behavior:

“Isn’t it just like that? We come here to shoot all the time, and there’s a crowd almost every day. As soon as the light turns green, we run and take pictures in the best spot in the middle of the road. The popular thing is to make half a heart with one hand and take a photo together.”

The building managers and police officials discuss the current situation!

The taxi driver, who is annoyed by people running into the road or ignoring traffic signals for photography, says, “This happens a lot around this time of year.”

“Every year, when it’s the illumination season, many people rush in. Now, there are security guards standing at the crosswalks, so it’s somewhat better, but there are still people who run into the road to take pictures, so we can’t let our guard down.”

Regarding the current situation where people engage in dangerous behavior to take “Instagrammable” photos, when asked for a response from the Roppongi Hills management, which oversees the illumination event, they replied, “We are aware of the dangerous behavior, and we have deployed security guards as a response.”

“This year, many people have come earlier than usual, eager to enjoy the illuminations. We must address this situation, so we have increased the number of security guards to ensure people can enjoy the illuminations safely.

As a result of our efforts, the number of dangerous incidents has decreased. However, with even more people expected to visit during the upcoming Christmas period, we are still considering further measures. We plan to implement a safety-first approach” (Mori Building Town Management Division).

What do the police officers in charge of this area think about these dangerous actions?

“The police officers in charge are aware of the issue. They are increasing patrols and raising awareness. As a result, there have been fewer people engaging in visibly dangerous actions, but since it is still a place visited by many, they will continue to patrol.”

Although it is a popular tourist spot visited by many every year, there is a possibility that the illuminations could be canceled due to disruptive behavior. One can only hope that such a situation does not occur, and that Tokyo’s famous spots remain free from such issues.