Following a rare call from the mayor of Shibuya Ward for Halloween revelers to stay away from the area, which is known for raucous behavior around the holiday, Tuesday night passed without a fuss amid heavy policing and security that made sure the situation was under control.
While costumes were few and far between, the allure of the Tokyo district nonetheless drew crowds, with police using yellow tape and whistles to guide pedestrians walking across the famed scramble crossing.
As crowds swelled, passersby took selfies with people in costumes ranging from Wolverine and E.T. to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, slowing the flow of people near Shibuya Station, notably on Center Street. Security personnel exhorted people to continue walking.
Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe, who sent out a controversial “don’t come” message for the event, expressed his satisfaction with the comparatively subdued and peaceful Halloween in the district.
"I'm relieved, but I don't see the issue as (fully) resolved," Hasebe said during a news conference Wednesday.
This Halloween, Shibuya saw its highest crowd numbers at around 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., with about 16,000 people gathering primarily around Center Street. That was a notable decrease compared with the 25,000 attendees seen the previous year — roughly a 60% reduction — according to the ward.
In 2019, peak attendance reached over 40,000 people, marking an all-time high since Shibuya gained recognition for its Halloween celebrations over a decade ago.
Hasebe said that if he hadn't sent out the “don’t come” message, Shibuya could have easily seen around 60,000 people this year.The ward dispatched 50 of its officials along with 125 private security guards to patrol the area, in addition to police, on Tuesday.
The ward noted that a restriction on alcohol sales and resulting reduction in public drinking significantly improved public safety, addressing a longstanding concern.
“People would quickly stop drinking when approached by security, despite some claiming they were unaware of the ordinance,” Hasebe said. “Public drinking, in general, was notably restrained.”
Shibuya managed to have 39 stores voluntarily suspend sales of alcohol in areas where street drinking is prohibited, saying this helped prevent incidents or people getting arrested. Security personnel were also seen approaching individuals who were drinking, confiscating their alcoholic beverages.
Katsuhiro Ikeda, chief of JR Shibuya Station, believes the mayor’s pleas along with the work of police and transportation authorities helped ensure people could visit the area safely.
“I think our efforts worked really well, especially in terms of avoiding a mass crowd crush like what was seen in Seoul last year,” he said, while recognizing that there were inconveniences like visitors not being able to easily buy tickets or having to take detours.
He also noted that on a typical weekend many individuals on the street tend to become very drunk. But due to the restrictions in place during the event, even though some people were in costume, there appeared to be fewer intoxicated individuals, he said.
Overall, about 3,684 kilograms of waste was collected during the four days through Tuesday, compared with 4,158 kg over the Halloween period last year.
Hasebe, however, said that his goal is not to send a message that the ward is a place of don’ts and can’ts.
"Shibuya is not a city that aims to exclude young people," Hasebe emphasized. “So while we deeply regret that we have to deal with this in this way, we will continue to move forward and seek everyone’s cooperation.”
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