Hello everyone! Halloween is coming up in just 10 days! As you learn more about Japanese culture and language through my blog, I’m going to describe different holidays and traditions compared to America. Yes, Halloween is very trendy, popular, and is celebrated in Japan but in a very different way from America.
Do Japanese People Celebrate Halloween?
Yes, but not the same way as they do in America. Halloween is more comparable to how an American college student would spend Halloween which means participating in parties, parties, and more parties! They especially occur in the streets of the bigger cities of Japan like Tokyo, for example you’ve probably seen photos from Halloween in Shibuya. (Insert my obligatory love for Jujutsu Kaisen here!) Halloween is seen as an especially outgoing and boisterous holiday compared to others celebrated in Japan. Everyone is seen hanging out having fun and taking pictures of each other. People can be seen wearing their Halloween costumes in the streets, on the trains, all in pursuit of being with friends and celebrating!
How Did Halloween Come to Japan?
You can probably already guess that Halloween was not a holiday Japan celebrated at first. I am not that knowledgeable on the specifics so I decided to do some research. According to Daniel-san from JRPass.com, “In 1997, Tokyo Disneyland introduced Halloween to Japan, and became increasingly popular every year until it became an annual event. In 2002, Universal Studios Japan joined in the festivities. The two major theme parks were instrumental in bringing Halloween to Japan.” As you can see, Halloween isn’t even thirty years old yet in Japan!
Japanese Halloween Costumes
In Japan the costumes I feel are mostly focused on the art and creativity of the person wearing the costume versus trying to actually be scary. In most pictures I’ve seen, they dress like nurses (maybe with a little blood splatter), zombies, anime characters (of course!), and video game characters (of course!). Usually people are seen in groups so either they dress very similarly to match or they coordinate their costumes. Some are gory and some are more cutesy but it’s all in pursuit of looking great while having fun with others!
Do Japanese People Trick or Treat?
Trick or treating is as big of an activity as it is in America at all. In comparison, trick or treating in Japan is more seen as a rarity. Trick or treating may be done within a very small community but it is not the norm at all. So if you travel to Japan around Halloween do not expect to see any.
However, if you want some recommendations of Japanese candies that any kid would love to eat, Hi-Chews are it for me! If you’ve never heard of them, Hi-Chews are fruit candy, kind of like Starbursts but the flavors taste like they’ve actually been made straight from the fruit. Hi-Chews are not as sweet and they are sooo good! Amazon has some and you can definitely get them before Halloween starts! (Or if you want some for yourself you could do that too!)
Do Japanese People Decorate for Halloween?
No, not really. I don’t really see many people in Japan decorate for Halloween as much as Americans do. Halloween is not as traditional of a holiday as others. However, the streets of popular cities are usually lined with decorations such as pumpkins and lights!
The last thing we will talk about is how to say Happy Halloween in Japanese! Of course this is made up of loan words from English so you have to use Katakana entirely. You never use hiragana for loan words. The way to spell it in text would be: ハッピーハロウィン. You can use the video linked here for the pronunciation: https://youtu.be/JqFaF6182cU
What are your plans for Halloween? Let me know in the comments below!
And in the spirit of Halloween I say ハッピーハロウィン!
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