Photo/Illutration Shinjuku Mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi addresses a news conference in the ward on Feb. 2. (Soichi Tsuchidate)

Shinjuku Ward is the latest district in Tokyo to take aim at a ban on street drinking on Halloween, New Year’s Eve and other festive occasions.

The ban would apply to outdoor drinking around Shinjuku’s Kabukicho entertainment quarter.

This stems from a surge in revelers to the area last Oct. 31 after neighboring Shibuya Ward issued a call for people to refrain once again from congregating and partying around the famed Scramble Crossing close to the station.

In Shinjuku, officials said the aim of the ban was to prevent excessive crowding and having to clear up mountains of street litter.

Shinjuku Mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi revealed the plan during a Feb. 2 news conference. The ward intends to propose the ordinance to the ward assembly in the new fiscal year starting in April.

Ward officials noticed a surge in visitors to the already teeming Kabukicho area last Halloween.

Shibuya Ward enacted an ordinance in 2019 to prohibit drinking in the streets around Shibuya Station on Halloween. The ward has also sought to suspend sales of alcohol in some areas.

Taking this as a reference, Shinjuku Ward plans to discuss the draft ordinance with local shopping districts. 

“I don’t like imposing restrictions, but if things go too far, it can lead to accidents,” Yoshizumi said. “We will consider this together with the shopping districts.”

The ward aims to put the ordinance into operation in September.

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