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Monday, 31st October 2016
In Events In Japan,
Tokyo recovers from its Halloween celebrations
Since Halloween has fallen on a Monday this year, many of the celebrations took place over the weekend, with the people of Tokyo turning out in force.
More than 250,000 revellers descended Tokyo and Kawasaki over the weekend to enjoy parades through the streets, while Tokyo Disneyland also had a busy two days.
The Kawasaki parade is the largest in Tokyo and now in its 20th year, with 2,600 people dressed up to participate.
Among the costumes was a large amount of make-up and prosthetics with particularly gory effects.
While it is not a traditional event in Japan, the nation has thoroughly embraced the holiday and it is now a billion-dollar industry.
It is estimated that 20 million people across the country get involved in the celebrations annually, dressing up, eating themed food and attending parties and events.
Throughout Tokyo, shops and bars were decorated with pumpkins and other seasonal items, while many cafes and restaurants were offering drinks and dishes flavoured with the orange winter squash.
One of the focal points for celebrations was the Shibuya district of Tokyo, where it was predicted that traffic would be congested, due to the number of revellers at the famous Scramble Crossing.
This prediction came true, with masses of party-goers dressed as everything from fairies and Harry Potter characters to Elvis and Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Shop owners in the Shimokitazawa neighbourhood of the city handed out sweets, while bartenders made cocktails in test tubes.
Mitsuo Kaneshiro told Japan Today: “Japanese people love dressing up. It’s nice to be able to escape your daily life now and again. I’ll be back in the office in a suit and tie tomorrow.”
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