Tag - halloween

 
 

HALLOWEEN

Politically themed Halloween decorations labeled "empathy," "tolerance," and "compromise & cooperation" at the home of Donna Breslin in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD
Oct 31, 2025
Washington's Halloween displays show scariest thing for Democrats is Trump
The White House is also using Halloween to mock opponents, posting images online of Trump with the words, "Not included — crown,” possibly to make light of the "No Kings” protests.
Screens display stock market information while news breaks about Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, at foreign exchange brokerage Gaitame.Com Co. in Tokyo on Oct. 21.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 30, 2025
Trick or trade: Talking about the stock market's 'Halloween effect' in Japanese
Japanese investors say Halloween is the best time to buy stocks — a seasonal trend known as the “Halloween effect.”
Local authorities want Japanese Halloween to refocus on the children, so expect plenty of community-organized events that are family friendly.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 23, 2025
Have you heard? This year Shibuya wants us to have a ‘good Halloween’
As Shibuya moves from prohibition to permission, learn how to ask where and how to celebrate Japan’s most haunted holiday.
Costumed revelers stand next to police officers controlling crowds at the scramble crossing in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Oct. 31, 2022.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 3, 2025
Tokyo's Shibuya calls on foreign visitors not to have a ‘disruptive Halloween’
The ward, a hot spot for Halloween revelers, is taking a step back from its “don’t come” messaging of the recent past.
Police officers control traffic in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2024
Fewer Halloween revelers seen in Tokyo following street drinking ban
Measures taken that include the street drinking ban to prevent problems are "beginning to produce results," Shibuya's mayor said.
Located in the Otemachi neighborhood, the 'skull mound' of Taira no Masakado is said to be the source of ills and misfortunes of any who would disturb the site.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 26, 2024
Take a Halloween stroll through Tokyo’s dark history
Tokyo has no shortage of creepy places to check out this Halloween, and the good news is that many are conveniently accessible.
A city as rich in history as Kyoto has accumulated plenty of hair-raising tales perfect for your Halloween perusal.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 26, 2024
Japan’s ancient capital houses a millennium of ghosts
August is the traditional period in Japan when the worlds of the living and the dead overlap, but who’s to say spirits don’t make an exception for Halloween?
Japanese people love to dress up for Halloween, but in recent years there has been an effort to cut down on the alcohol and crowds that tend to come with the holiday here.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 24, 2024
Celebrating spooky season with Halloween-themed vocabulary
Get to know the vocabulary behind different levels of scares from spooky to absolutely terrifying.
Japan's first 'Zombie Shinkansen' terrified and delighted passengers on the way from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 22, 2024
‘Zombie Shinkansen’ delivers high-speed thrills and chills
Some laughed, some gasped, but aboard the first train ferrying the undead from Tokyo to Kansai, a good time was had by all.
New and strengthened rules aim to make street drinking a thing of the past in Shibuya's nightlife center — but the reality may not be that simple.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Oct 21, 2024
Can you drink in Shibuya and Shinjuku this Halloween? It depends.
Shibuya and Shinjuku are both planning on cracking down on street drinking this Halloween and beyond. But the problem might be bigger than a night of drunken revelry.
Shinjuku Mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi (left) and Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN / Society
Oct 7, 2024
Tokyo mayors ask people to follow rules during Halloween
Shibuya and Shinjuku wards have each set an ordinance to prohibit drinking on the streets.
Office employees drink outdoors in Kabukicho. Street drinking at night will be banned in certain areas of Shinjuku on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. However, the ban has no penalties.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2024
Tokyo's Shinjuku bans street drinking at night on Halloween
The move comes as Shinjuku has faced increased disturbances and other nuisances from young people moving from neighboring Shibuya.
A large sign against Halloween gatherings is displayed outside Shibuya Station in Tokyo on Oct. 28 last year.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2024
Shibuya and Shinjuku crack down on street drinking
Both areas in Tokyo have been grappling with issues related to drinking in public following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Police officers guard the site of a crowd crush in Seoul, on Oct. 30, 2022. Two police officers were sentenced on Wednesday for destroying evidence linked to the disaster on Oct. 29, 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 14, 2024
Two Seoul police officers convicted over deadly Halloween crush
The pair "deleted or arbitrarily destroyed internal reports written prior to the accident and destroyed evidence," a court said.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 1, 2023
Shibuya Halloween passes without fuss following ‘don’t come’ message
Shibuya's mayor has expressed satisfaction with the reduction in crowds and public drinking this year.
Trendy buzzwords tend to be most at risk of dying out as they often reflect ideas and trends that are fleeting.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 31, 2023
A foray into the realm of Japanese ‘dead words’
Old slang and problematic terms are prime candidates when it comes to slipping out of usage and disappearing from the Japanese lexicon.
Shibuya's local government has mounted a campaign to dissuade revelers from visiting the neighborhood for Halloween celebrations and has banned drinking in the streets.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 30, 2023
Shibuya wants to cancel Halloween. That's a mistake.
This year, Shibuya isn't dressing up for Halloween. The neighborhood is turning revelers away, ignoring its role as a youth culture hub.
People attend a vigil on Sunday in Seoul to mark the first anniversary of the tragic crowd crush that killed 159 people during Halloween celebrations in the city's popular Itaewon nightlife area a year ago.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 29, 2023
Families hold mass commemoration for Seoul 2022 crush victims
A year on, victims' families say they are still seeking answers to what went wrong and who was responsible for the deadly crush.
People visit Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on Saturday, including a handful of costumed revelers gathering in the trendy area to celebrate the weekend before Halloween.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 29, 2023
Security tight for Halloween in Shibuya as costumed crowds fail to show
Measures to deter costumed revelers from gathering in the trendy area — including a ban on street drinking — appeared to be relatively effective.
A banner displayed at the entrance of Shibuya Ward’s Center Street makes clear that authorities do not want Halloween revelers to roam the streets as has become the custom.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 27, 2023
Why deal with the crowds when you can have a ‘mundane Halloween’ online?
People are busy thinking up costumes at Halloween, so will yours be flashy and outrageous? Well, an online trend proves "bland" can be just as fun.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes