Photo/Illutration Young people dance while screaming in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward around midnight on Oct. 31. (Sho Tanji)

Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward hosted its first Halloween party in three years without COVID-19-related restrictions, two days after tragedy struck a similar event in Seoul.

Extra police were deployed to the ward to prevent crowd crushes among the revelers. And local officials tried to enforce rules on alcohol consumption and other measures to ensure safety.

Although the Shibuya area became overcrowded and acts of rudeness and drunken behavior were evident, no major incidents were reported.

“I couldn’t come the past two years because of the pandemic, so I came today as my last chance to make great memories while still in high school,” said an 18-year-old who lives in Machida, western Tokyo. He was dressed like a video game character.

He said his parents worried about him going to Shibuya because of the disaster in Seoul that killed 155 people.

A 29-year-old British man who came to Tokyo from Australia with his Japanese partner was dressed like a skeleton.

“There is really good security in Japan, which is great because I can enjoy the festivities safely,” he said.

About 30 employees of Shibuya Ward gathered at the ward office to patrol the area that night.

They were separated into groups and dispatched to five locations, such as Center-gai and Dogenzaka. Their main tasks were to inform people about the ban on drinking alcohol and smoking on the streets and to collect trash.

The crossings in Center-gai became overcrowded as the night wore on. Police whistles rang out nonstop to urge the crowd packed shoulder to shoulder to keep moving.

“There are definitely more people than last year, but not as many as pre-pandemic,” said a 65-year-old man who works at a kebab shop in Center-gai. “I hope this night ends without any problems.”

Not everyone in Shibuya was there to party.

A 30-year-old company employee who lives in Toshima Ward was trying to make money under a signboard near Miyashita Park that declared, “We sell Halloween goods.”

“The mask of a popular YouTuber is selling well,” he said.

Miyashita Park, a shopping mall, closed its spacious park on the fourth floor at 9 p.m., two hours earlier than usual, as part of Shibuya’s Halloween safety measures.

Park staff guided visitors to stairs leading to the exits.

The workers said more than 1,000 people had crowded the park, and the stairs were a sea of people.

“After the accident in South Korea, I was careful to make sure nobody fell on the stairs,” one of the staff members said.

People were sitting on the street drinking canned beer and other alcohol near the ground level of the building.

A 23-year-old company employee who came to Shibuya from Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, was having a chu-hai alcoholic drink there.

He said he “didn’t know” about the ban on drinking alcohol on the streets.

“I drink because it feels good,” he said, and continued drinking.

At midnight, a security guard stood in front of the Hachiko statue near the famed Shibuya Scramble Crossing and declared, “Halloween is over.”

A group of young people were still dancing to music nearby, however.

A 20-year-old university student who lives in Shibuya Ward was in a maid costume and in a hurry to catch the last train with her friend.

“I thought about not coming because of the accident in South Korea, but I’m glad I did because I got so many great pictures,” she said.

The last train of East Japan Railway Co.’s Yamanote Line departed Shibuya Station at 12:48 a.m.

A 24-year-old woman who lives in Saitama Prefecture and wore leopard’s ears and a tail had missed the last train.

“I haven’t decided what to do now,” she said. “I’ll probably stay in Shibuya until the morning because I’m off tomorrow.”

She walked to the Shibuya Scramble Crossing with her three colleagues, who work in the beauty industry.

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