TOKYO –
Halloween celebrations are happening throughout Japan forward of October 31, which falls on a Saturday for the primary time in six years, with Tokyo’s Shibuya district introducing crowd-control measures together with barricades across the Hachiko statue and highway closures, whereas Tama Zoological Park has reopened its lion exhibit after seven animals recovered from heatstroke.
In Toyama City, round 50 youngsters participated in a Halloween celebration at a nursery faculty specializing in English-language schooling, dressing in costumes and having fun with actions designed to introduce them to the annual celebration.
Children in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, additionally took half in Halloween festivities, carrying quite a lot of costumes and strengthening ties with native residents by neighborhood actions.
This 12 months’s Halloween falls on a Saturday for the primary time since 2020, elevating issues about giant crowds gathering in Shibuya, considered one of Japan’s hottest locations for Halloween celebrations.
On the morning of October 30, boundaries have been put in across the Hachiko statue exterior Shibuya Station, a preferred assembly place that usually attracts giant numbers of tourists.
The Metropolitan Police Department plans to deploy a number of hundred officers over three days starting on the night of October 30 to handle crowds and preserve public security. Some roads round Shibuya Station have been scheduled to shut from 4 p.m. on October 30 as a part of the safety preparations.
A customer from Mexico expressed combined emotions in regards to the restrictions, saying, “It’s a little disappointing, but Halloween in Japan gets very lively, so I can understand why the restrictions are necessary.”
Shibuya Ward has additionally referred to as on companies close to the station to voluntarily droop alcohol gross sales from 6 p.m. on October 31 till 5 a.m. on November 1, aiming to discourage avenue ingesting and forestall disorderly conduct.
Some electrical scooter parking and rental stations within the space can even be quickly unavailable as authorities search to scale back congestion throughout the celebrations.
Meanwhile, Tama Zoological Park in western Tokyo resumed public viewing of its lions on October 30 after seven animals recovered from sicknesses linked to extreme summer season warmth.
Since July 2026, all 10 lions saved on the zoo had developed well being issues, with three subsequently dying.
The zoo introduced on October 29 that the three deaths have been believed to have resulted from a number of organ failure attributable to heatstroke.
Following the deaths, the zoo launched measures geared toward stopping related incidents and defending the remaining animals from excessive temperatures.
With the seven surviving lions having recovered, the zoo reopened their exhibit on October 30, permitting guests to see the animals once more after the suspension prompted by the well being disaster.
Source: FNN