Halloween night crowd around Shibuya Station saw a 20% increase compared to last year

Despite calls asking people not to visit the area to celebrate Halloween, around 20% more people crowded the area around Shibuya Station on 31 October compared to last year, reaching a peak of roughly 18,000 people at 10 PM. 

Due to concerns about potential crowd and alcohol-related accidents due to the large influx of visitors, Shibuya Ward issued the same request as last year, urging people not to come to the area for Halloween. 

Nevertheless, hot spots such as the Shibuya scramble crossing and Shibuya Center-Gai were congested with young people and foreigners dressed up in costumes. Many were piling up, thus blocking the pedestrian bridge, as well as engaging in risky behaviors such as climbing the handrails on stairways. 

On the other hand, the number of people drinking on the street witnessed a significant decline, down by 100 to around 200 compared to last year. 

In a press conference held this morning, Shibuya Ward mayor Hasabe Ken said: “The ban on street drinking was effective and there were also no major incidents. However, the only significant change was that the majority of people in costumes were foreigners.” Thus, he suggested re-evaluating how information is communicated to foreigners. He also mentioned how it is challenging for Shibuya Ward to handle the situation and stressed the importance of working together with Tokyo and the national government as a part of the country’s over-tourism strategy. 

Source: NHK