Trick or treat! Although Halloween wasn't celebrated in Japan until recent years due to popularization and the constant influence of the Americans, it's becoming popular year after year. Foreign or even local stores sell colorful Halloween costumes, decorations, costumes and sweets. But on a national scale, it is still largely unpracticed. So I tried my best to see how people celebrate this spooky and fun-filled day!
Cosplay is actually a shortened term for “costume play”. Anime lovers or Japanese culture enthusiasts might be familiar with this since I've seen Filipinos hold an annual cosplay conventions in different malls in the Philippines or even in other countries. People usually dress up as a Japanese cartoon character, famous anime characters in manga, video games or TV. According to Wikipedia, the purpose of cosplaying may be fans' expression or to show enthusiasm for a character. Harajuku is an area around Tokyo where people (mostly youths) dress up for cosplay every Sunday. Harajuku is also considered as the fashion capital of the world widely renowned for its unique street fashion. Personally, I'm not a fan of anime (how ironic!) but I think it's amazing to look at how people dress up especially for this event.
RESTAURANTS/BARS
People working in the business industry or in commercial establishments observe Halloween to help them earn high sales. Especially people working in the entertainment industry where they wear scary or even adorable costumes to entertain people in a different level for the holiday. The staffs decorate their restaurants or bars with Halloween accessories and ornaments as well. As a treat, they also give out free candies or chocolates for the customers! People also dance around and sing along just for fun and for the businessmen, they drink all night to give themselves a break away from the paperwork and office stress.
OBON FESTIVAL
Obon is Japan's own way of celebrating Halloween which is not a western-style. Obon takes place during July or August where it's usually hot. People visit the graves of their loved ones who passed away and pray for them. They also traditionally offer Japanese snacks or fruits and flowers then pour water on their graves to cleanse it. Sounds weird but during the Obon week, after people had visited their loved ones' graves, they celebrate, eat and dance. People were accustomed to wear yukata (a casual kimono for summer) but recently only few people do wear them. It is believed that the dead people return to their birthplaces and on the same week, they also return to their graves. So during these times, people in Japan enjoy ghost storytelling and haunted attractions.
Halloween is a great time to bring out the creativeness inside of us, to have fun, scare ourselves and eat candies! Whether you celebrate Halloween or not, it is important to remember and pray for the souls of our loved ones as well as the lost souls that they may be peaceful wherever they are.
PHOTO CREDITS (L-R) tx.english-ch, zimbio
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