Whether to Put This Out
I wasn’t sure whether I should put this video out. But here’s the deal. Every year, travelers from all over the world came to attend the annual Halloween celebration in Shibuya. In 2023, there was huge disappointment — significant disappointment — for the whole travel community who really embraced that scene.
Politicians decided they were not going to have it. And that was in reflection of the tragic crowd crush that occurred in Seoul’s Itaewon district in October 2022, on Halloween night. A celebration that went completely awry. 159 people lost their lives.
So 2022 really marks possibly the very last Halloween celebration of its kind in Shibuya, Tokyo. This video is paying homage to that very last event.
The Train to Shibuya
I was there. I was lucky to be there. And I got to say that when I was on my way, on the train making my way to Shibuya that night, I jumped on X — formerly known as Twitter — and read what was unfolding in South Korea. I felt like turning back on the train and going home. But I’d come all this way.
I felt in my heart that the tragedies unfolding in South Korea might definitely impact future events in Tokyo. And I was right. Shibuya banned Halloween gatherings from 2023 onward — permanent drinking bans, barricades around Hachiko, station exits closed off. The organic street celebration is gone.
What Was Lost
There is something worth acknowledging about what Shibuya Halloween used to be. It wasn’t an organized event. There was no promoter, no sponsor, no committee. People just showed up. The costumes, the energy, the sheer scale of it — that was organic. And organic things, once they stop, don’t come back the same way.
This video exists as a record. Of the crossing, the costumes, the crowd. Of a night in Shibuya that may have been the last of its kind.
Going Anyway
Japan is still one of the most compelling places to travel. The trains are extraordinary. The food is extraordinary. The culture rewards patience and attention in ways that few other countries do. Halloween or no Halloween, Shibuya still has the crossing, the neon, the energy. It just won’t have that one specific night again.
If you’re planning a trip to Tokyo, consider timing it around one of the many other festivals throughout the year — Tori-no-Ichi, Sanja Matsuri, Sumidagawa Fireworks. Japan doesn’t lack for events. It just lost this particular one.
