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.”