“Don’t celebrate Halloween in Japan?” Honestly, I was a bit shocked to hear that since Japan is so big into some other Western holidays such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day. As a big Halloween fan, I prepared myself to spend the coming October in a sadly terror-free land (oh, the first world problems ;_;). So, you can imagine my surprise when I was greeted by tacky black cat cardboard cut-outs and plastic jack-o-lanterns in literally every konbini (convenience store) and shopping mall I found myself wondering through.”Well, this is a pleasant surprise.” I thought, thinking back on what my friends had told me. I would have called them liars-liars-pants on fire, however, their claim would have been true only a few years back.

The truth is, Halloween is a very recent development in Japanese culture. That’s right, 10 years ago, Halloween was viewed as the day when scary gaijin (foreigners) would randomly roam the streets in outrageous costumes, haphazardly drink on public transportation, and perhaps accidentally summon satan (or a lesser oni) along the way. Nowadays, however, it’s not abnormal to see people on the streets decked out in their Halloween swag a week before the 31st. In short, it’s taken just a few years for Halloween to effortlessly go from an alien blood ritual to a legitimate holiday with all the toppings. The question is: why?

Japanese Theme Parks: Halloween Ambassadors

Up until about ten years ago, the only sign of Halloween in Japan was the occasional sighting of Jack Skellington on living room TVs. In other words, people heard about it through movies and other popular media sources, but Halloween still remained a foreign concept for quite a long time.

However, that all changed as soon as Tokyo Disney decided it was time to spread the party (and make more moolah). In 1997 Tokyo Disney had its first  ”Disney Happy Halloween,” inviting all guests to take part in the festivities. Although it took a couple years to spread the word, Japanese people started to become excited about this new tradition, and in 2000 Tokyo Disney was able to have its first “Halloween Twilight Parade” featuring 400 visitors and Disney characters in costume.

As Japanese people already had a fascination with Disneyland, it was easy to make the concept of Halloween seem enchanting and magical. Every year after 1997 the Halloween celebration has grown as word of mouth has spread, and now the party starts as early as late September. Of course, Disney isn’t hogging the fun all to itself. In 2002, Universal Studios crashed the party and introduced “Hollywood Halloween,” another major success. Together, these two theme parks have contributed to bringing the Halloween tradition to Japan.

Cosplay: We’ve Already Won This Contest

These girls are looking . . . foxy? Wouldn’t you say?

Although Tokyo Disney and other amusement parks sparked Japan’s interest in Halloween, it would be crazy to owe it’s growing popularity to them alone. Of course, there are other reasons why the tradition has spread like wildfire in the past decade. For example, there are many ways in which Japanese culture nicely meshes with the concept of Halloween, making it easy for the Japanese to adopt it as their own. One of the most obvious points is the appreciation of costuming.

I mean, just think about it. We’re talking about the country that gave the world the gift of cosplay. So, it’s only natural that a tradition involving costuming would catch on eventually. This might be playing into stereotypes too much, but seriously, can you imagine Japan turning down any excuse to run around the streets in a pikachu suit. I can’t.

The fact that many Japanese street fashions fit so seamlessly into Halloween aesthetics also makes it easy for Japanese people to participate in the festivities. Into Lolita fashion? Great! All you need to do is walk out of your front door and you’re part of the party. Plus, who would turn down the opportunity to dress in scantily clad outfits while still being accepted into mainstream society? Apparently, not the Japanese (or anyone else I know for that matter).

Scary Stories? Sure, We’ve Got Them, Too.

Another way in which Japanese culture meshes nicely with Halloween is the fact that it strongly resembles Japan’s own tradition of Obon. “Obon?” you ask. In summary, Obon is a Buddhist tradition in which families honor the return of the spirits of their ancestors. Although Obon takes place in mid-August, it too is a time for appreciation of the supernatural and is sometimes even called the “ghost season.”

As you can imagine, during “ghost season” people are especially aware of scary happenings, and ghost stories can be heard pretty much everywhere. Besides this, the Japanese have always appreciated a good scary story – just take a look at all the horror movies in Japan’s film scene.

Halloween just offers another opportunity to indulge in all the spooky spectacles anyone could ever dream of – just pick you poison. The difference, though, comes from the fact that Halloween is a recently imported holiday and that takes off some of the cultural edge that Obon carries. So instead of terrifying yuurei, or the vengeful spirits of Buddhist tradition, you’re dealing with harmless, and even sometimes cute, obake, or ghosts. For this reason, some people have called Halloween “The children’s Obon.”

In mean, you can actually tell your kids about Casper without mentally scarring them for the rest of their lives. Yuurei on the other hand? *shutters*

Halloween in English Classrooms: Because We Would Die of Boredom Otherwise

As many people know already, English is a required subject in Japanese school systems. Therefore, everyone has to learn it (or at least pretend that they are learning it) these days whether they like it or not. Not only that, but the age in which children start learning their ABC’s was recently lowered from middle school to the 5th year of primary school in 2011. By 2020, they’ll be beginning their English educations in 3rd grade. What I’m trying to say is that children are learning English from a very young age (and it’s only getting younger).

So, what does this have to do with Halloween? Well, I don’t know about you, but at the age of 10 it was pretty hard to keep my attention, and last time I checked, learning English in Japan is just about as exciting as watching an episode of “Days of Our Lives” with your grandmother . . . while waiting in the dentist’s office. So, something had to be done to keep kids semi-conscious during English class, and what better way to do it than by giving them obscene amounts of candy, I mean, by giving them a healthy cultural education.

And so, Halloween was born into the public education system. Thanks to the Japanese school system, no more will your おばあさん (grandmother) throw you into the funny farm when you come home demanding to carve pumpkins together or asking what costume she is going to make you this year. Well, she might consider it, but in all seriousness, cultural education in English classrooms from a young age is vastly contributing to the familiarization of Western holidays such as Halloween.

Halloween in Japan: Putting a Spin on Things

Hooray! So, Halloween has become somewhat of “a thing” in Japan. All my dreams have come true. But, that doesn’t mean Halloween is exactly what you would expect. Like anything else, Halloween has changed a little here and there as it’s crossed borders, and of course, Japan has put it’s own spin on things.

The first thing I noticed about Halloween in Japan is that things are noticeably less scary and a whole lot more “Hello Kitty” (surprise, surprise). You might see a little ketchup-like blood on some costumes here and there, but the scare factor doesn’t reach anywhere near what it is in the USA. I mean, my Halloween decorations include a transparent, mixed-berry scented candle decorated with cripplingly cute black kittens and a plastic pumpkin with a smiley face on it. That was the best I could do.

In general, there is a lot more focus put on merchandising and the novelty of the whole thing, and that gives Halloween a totally different flavor (one can only take so much Halloween Hello Kitty…). For example, on a trip to the grocery store you might see pumpkin shaped bread filled with kabocha, or Japanese pumpkin, seasonally flavored Kit-Kats, or better yet, something like this:

In terms of events there are a few large Halloween parties and parades in Japan such as the Kawasaki Halloween Parade in which about 4,000 people participate by dancing and costuming.  However, don’t be surprised if you hear Rihanna or Lady Gaga rather than the Monster Mash at a Japanese Halloween celebration.

On a smaller scale, there are plenty of Halloween events in various cities. Whether it’s bar crawling events or sexy costume contests, you’re bound to have a blast. Unfortunately however, the tradition of trick-or-treating has yet to catch on except for in a few strictly controlled areas, which in my opinion takes all the fun out of it.

Costumes in Japan are exactly what you might imagine, and more. Common costumes include popular anime characters, full-body suits and onesies, men in cross-play, Japanese fashion trends such as lolita, sexy nurses and cat girls, and well, the plain bizarre. The fun thing about seeing costumes in Japan is that you can see culturally specific things you would never see in other countries. My personal favorite in this group is gokiburi-san (Mr. cockroach). Below is a picture of the Japanese onesie fashion, Halloweenified!

In short, Halloween in Japan is highly commercialized and has a lot to do with seasonal marketing, but it is also a fun way for people to let their hair down without all the cultural subtext. Although it is not celebrated by everyone, it seems that Halloween is gaining significant popularity with each coming year. Personally, I’m very excited to see where Halloween will go and what spin Japan will put on it next.

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Bonus Wallpapers!

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Women Forced Into WWII Brothels Served Necessary Role, Osaka Mayor Says

I could contextualize this story and tell you all about the history of WWII and Japan’s apologies and reactions since then, but all you need to know from this story is this: Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto is a huge turd. This is just the latest in a series of awful things he’s done and said, so any outrage I have at this is muted by Hashimoto’s sadly predictable behavior. Once a turd, always a turd.

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Japanese Aide Makes Rare Trip to North Korea: Every once in a while, Japan extends the olive branch to the hermit kingdom with the hopes that maybe someday, North Korea will play nicely with its neighbors. For the first time in a long time, a high-level representative from Japan is in the DPRK right now trying to make nice with the Kims. Good luck!

Japan Mulling Offering Fast-Track Entry to Foreign Travelers: Japan has discussed many options over the years to boost tourism (including giving away free airplane tickets), but the latest plan has been to offer the same accelerated entry into the country. Americans and Canadians already enjoy this convenience, but more countries are currently being considered. Fortunately for everybody, North Korea is currently at the bottom of the list.

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VIDEO: World Cosplay Summit 2013 Event Trailer: The World Cosplay Summit first caught my eye a few years ago when a Japanese governor and mayor cosplayed to promote the event. This year’s WCS isn’t until August, but it looks like promotion for the event has already begun. I hope that they can up the stakes a bit and convince the prime minister to dress up too.

Arctic Council Adds 6 Nations as Observer States, Including China: Recently the Arctic Council added six new countries as “observer states,” including Japan. What could Japan’s motivation be for joining the council? Maybe it’s more access to all of that delicious, delicious arctic whale.

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More Photos Of Abe Shinzo On Top Of Military Hardware

Even though I never plan to run for elected office, I’ve learned one thing about being a politician: never, ever pose for a picture on a tank, plane, aircraft carrier, or any other military vehicle. Michael Dukakis and George W. Bush learned that years ago, and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is learning that posing on a fighter jet might not be the best idea. Just kiss a baby or something, dude.

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It wasn’t what I was expecting. Students from this prestigious school were cosplaying at their graduation, walking up to the stage to accept their diplomas as Power Rangers and anime characters.

I don’t know if these people are otaku or just wanna have fun at the end of a very important part of their lives. I’ve looked into it a bit since we got back home and found more graduation cosplay from Kyodai, including Spider-Man conducting the Kyodai graduation band:

Hey, it’s the guy from the commercials!

Unsurprisingly, Kyodai isn’t the only school in Japan with some costumed graduates. The Kanazawa College of Art’s graduation ceremony this year was full of cool, weird, and interesting costumes from its graduates. It seems like there were more people in costume than not.

Legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto is a Kanazawa College of Art alumni, so there’s plenty of Nintendo cosplay to go around.

Leave this place, Kumamon! You have no power here!

What’s your favorite costume? Did you dress up at your graduation ceremony? Tell me in the comments!

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Japan: The worst developed country for mothers?: Japan has made a lot of strides when it comes to gender equality, but this article is a reminder that it still has a long, long way to go. Japanese women still face a reality that forces them to abandon their careers once they have children, and deal with the majority of household work. It’s a tough issue, but one that sorely needs to be addressed.
[/threecol_two] [threecol_one_last]World Whiskies Awards 2013: Japan takes World’s Best Blended & Best Blended Malt Whisky: You probably know already, thanks to a highly-educational, well-written article, that Japanese whisky is some of the best in the world. That reputation was reaffirmed this week after the Japanese won both World’s Best Blended and Malt Whiskies. Take that Scotland!

Woman Flees North Korea And Is Shocked By Freedom and… Cosplay: When you escape North Korea, one of the most isolated, impoverished countries on earth, almost anything can be shocking to you. Everyday thing like grocery stores, cars, and cell phones, must be almost inconceivable. But cosplay?![/threecol_one_last]

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[threecol_one]Netizens Touched by Anti-anti-Korean Protests in Japan: As much as I hate the term “netizens,” this story was actually really heart-warming. As anti-Korean protesters took to the streets, anti-anti-Korean protesters countered them by making their own voices heard, and blocking out the bigots. Let’s just all be friends, ok guys? Bring it in for a group hug.

Japan needs to rebrand for SXSW: As Korean makes strides into the global music scene, Japan’s presence at the South by Southwest festival seems more and more muted. How can Japanese musicians stand out more? My advice for SXSW: more buzzwords! Social media. Disrupt. Synergy. Pivot. [/threecol_one] [threecol_two_last]

Sushi Outside of Japan: Sushi chefs from all over the world came to Japan earlier this month for the World Sushi Cup, an international sushi competition designed to push the limits of the cuisine. And even as a Danish chef walked away the victor, the crowd over at 2ch discussed what they saw as sushi abominations created by foreigners. Hey, you win some, you lose some.
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What is surprising is that the Tokyo Marathon isn’t just for Kenyans wanting to leave everybody else in the dust; there’s also a ton of people who just like to dress up and go for a small 26-mile run.

With this year’s Tokyo Marathon set to take place next month, I thought I’d share with you some of the craziest costumes from previous years:

As we all know, Jesus actually lived and died in Japan, so it makes sense seeing him in the Tokyo Marathon.

A foreigner running the Tokyo Marathon as Captain America? What a real American.

Joseph Tame of Tame Gone Wild is an unusual runner who runs in different shapes (like a banana or an Apple logo). He also likes to strap computer equipment to himself to livestream his runs and measure how far and where he runs.

For a while, Hikonyan was one of the most popular mascots in all of Japan and apparently, that popularity was great enough to convince some guy to dress up as a creepy, creepy Hikonyan.

I don’t remember the genie being this gross and sweaty in Aladdin. Maybe it’s time to rewatch it?

It looks like my old congressman David Wu made it over to Japan to race. Neat!

What’s your favorite costume? If you were to run in the Tokyo Marathon, would you dress up? Tell me in the comments!

The guy with the blue face is the governor of Aichi prefecture, and he’s dressed up as Lord Dessler from the classic anime series Space Battleship Yamato. Another politician, the mayor of Nagoya joined in too, cosplaying as Dragonball villain Piccolo.

So why on earth are these two middle-age politicians dressing as anime villains? You can thank the World Cosplay Summit for that.

World Cosplay Summit

Every year, the city of Nagoya hosts the World Cosplay Summit (WCS), bringing people from all over the world to show off their elaborate, handmade costumes of their favorite anime or manga characters. The WCS is a huge event, bringing hundreds of thousands of people every single year. This year’s WCS happened just this last weekend.

World Cosplay Summit brings tons of tourism and business to Naogya, so it’s not really too surprising that the mayor and governor would try to really get involved in the event. As the saying goes, politics make strange bedfellows. In this case, it’s politicians and diehard cosplaying otaku.

The main event at WCS is the World Cosplay Championship, where teams representing countries from all over the world perform onstage to see whose cosplay is superior. These performances can be very elaborate and grand, featuring huge props, fancy costumes, and interesting storylines. Check out this video of last year’s champions, Brazil, and their intense performance.

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But as an Oregonian, I know all about politicians dressing up in ridiculous costumes that might embarrass them. After all, up until recently my congressman was this guy:

P.S.: Wish more politicians would cosplay? Let us know on Twitter.

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