Photo/Illutration A person covers his face with a paper that reads “Shibuya is not a venue for Halloween” on Oct. 31. (Taku Hosokawa)

Repeated public warnings and a heavy police presence apparently did the trick in keeping fewer Halloween revelers from packing Tokyo’s Shibuya district on Oct. 31. 

The Shibuya Ward government reported on Nov. 1 that 15,000 people had gathered on a famed shopping street there at 10 p.m. on Halloween, or 8,000 fewer than last year.

To prevent problems such as drinking on the streets and littering, ward officials this year issued stronger messages than in previous years telling people “not to come to Shibuya for Halloween purposes.”

The ward government indicated the efforts resulted in fewer partygoers.

“Overall, we appreciate the public’s understanding in response to the ward’s government messages, and it was a quiet Halloween for Shibuya,” said Ken Hasebe, Shibuya Ward’s mayor, to reporters on Nov. 1.

The number of people who gathered at Shibuya Center Street at 10 p.m. on Oct. 31 was less than half that seen in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, when up to 40,000 visitors flocked there at 11 p.m., according to the ward government.

More stores than last year also complied with the ward government’s request to refrain from selling alcohol, ward officials said.

On the other hand, the ward’s spending for measures including security and campaigns asking people not to celebrate Halloween there rose to 88 million yen ($582,000), or 40 million yen more than the amount initially secured.

The expenditure was second only to the 100 million yen spent in 2019.

The ward government collected 3,700 kilograms of garbage, or 500 kg less than last year.

“We’re relieved but we don’t think this is the end of the problems,” Hasebe said. “We would like to continue to send out the message that Shibuya’s streets are not a party venue for Halloween.”

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