Costumed revelers crowded into Tokyo’s most popular downtown areas on Halloween on Oct. 31, much to the consternation of officials, who feared that littering and disruptive behavior would follow.

However, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, there were no significant incidents in Shibuya or Shinjuku wards on Halloween. The scene in Toshima Ward also appeared relatively quiet in the evening. 

In response to increasingly wild public behavior on Halloweens past, more municipal governments took countermeasures to discourage or regulate Halloween celebrations this year.

Shinjuku Ward banned drinking on the street for the first time in its history, and Toshima Ward changed its formerly permissive stance on Halloween to one of heightened vigilance and increased security.

Asahi Shimbun reporters walked around downtown areas around Tokyo on Halloween night to determine if the countermeasures against revelers were effective.

LESS DRINKING SEEN IN KABUKICHO

Young people dressed as anime characters and in other costumes began gathering in the Kabukicho district in Shinjuku Ward around 6 p.m.

Groups of people who appeared to be tourists snapped pictures of the colorful costumes around them.

Some of the dressed-up young people held cans of alcohol.

Shinjuku Ward officials and police officers went about warning people not to drink outside and showing sign boards saying “No drinking” in both Japanese and English.

As many as 200 police officers patrolled the area to watch for trouble.

Foreigners with cigarettes were also warned not to smoke.

The Kabukicho area had become more crowded by 8 p.m., and more foreigners were visible in the area—including some dressed as Super Mario.

A few minutes past 9 p.m., people were spotted sitting on the street. Trash cans were also set out temporarily.

Shinjuku Mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi visited the area.

“There are a lot of people here, but not as much street drinking as last year,” he told reporters.

“I feel the regulations have been effective at maintaining public safety,” he said.

Halloween in Shinjuku changed dramatically last year.

Officials in Shibuya Ward, where young people had been coming to celebrate Halloween for years, publicly asked people not to party in the area on Halloween.

As a result, many began flocking to Shinjuku Ward instead last year.

Yoshizumi said, “Anxieties spread among local residents,” because of litter on the streets, an increase in foreign tourists and disruptive behavior caused by street drinking.

In response, Shinjuku Ward passed an ordinance in June prohibiting street drinking on Halloween day. The ward mayor held a joint news conference with the Shibuya Ward mayor in early October to highlight its policy that “Shinjuku Ward bans drinking on the streets.”

POLICE ACTIVE IN SHIBUYA WARD

In Shibuya Ward, which enacted Halloween regulations earlier than other municipalities, the number of visitors on Halloween last year shrank to just a quarter of the expected number.

However, the ward remained on high alert this year as well.

In mid-October, Shibuya Ward officials installed a large billboard in front of Shibuya Station stating, “No Events for Halloween on Shibuya streets.”

The ward also hid the statue of the faithful dog Hachiko, one of the most famed meeting spots in Tokyo, with a cloth, as it did last year.

As many as 125 security guards were deployed to the iconic scramble crossing and Shibuya Center Gai, a popular shopping street, where they told people not to loiter.

After 6 p.m., the number of young people and foreigners in costumes gradually increased in front of Shibuya Station and Shibuya Center Gai. Nearby streets became one-way pedestrian traffic.

Around 9 p.m., the area became too crowded for individuals to squeeze past each other in the scramble crossing.

Many people were taking photos on their smartphones while walking.

The police continued calling out loudly, “Do not stop,” and “Look ahead.”

NO SIGNS OF TROUBLE IN TOSHIMA WARD

Toshima Ward, which is next to Shinjuku Ward, initially planned to have no special regulations on street drinking or other anti-Halloween measures. It planned to deploy the same number of security guards on Oct. 31 as it would on any normal day.

However, as Halloween approached, ward officials became more concerned that Halloween revelers with nowhere to go in Shinjuku might flock to the ward’s Ikebukuro district instead.

At the last minute, the ward changed its Halloween policy to deploy additional security in the park and square by the west gate of Ikebukuro Station, which are usually guarded around the clock, to prepare for unforeseen circumstances.

“I hope there will be no trouble (on Halloween) so that we don’t need to introduce new regulations in the future,” Toshima Mayor Miyuki Takagiwa said at a news conference on Oct. 22 to announce the ward’s policy change.

It seemed that her wishes were granted, as there were no signs of trouble around the station or in the west gate square as of after 10 p.m. on Oct. 31.

(This article was written by Masashi Kisanuki, Yuka Hoda and Ryo Takeda.)