-Cool cultures in Japan-

Sometimes it is said that Japan has ‘curious’ cultures. Unlike other countries, many Japanese people do not care much about their own religious beliefs, but there are a lot of religious events that occur. For instance, most Japanese enjoy Christmas, and the most popular religious funeral is Buddhism. In a word, Japanese cultures consist of a mixture of Western and Asian cultures. Original Japanese cultures are brought from old Chinese cultures, which were changed to be fit for Japanese land or the character of the nation. 

During the 1860’s, after the Edo period ended, many Japanese had Westernized. Halloween came to Japan in the 1970’s. At first, it was just a small event in Japan that a few teenagers enjoyed, but it became a large-scale national event after the 2000’s. Why did it become such a big event in such a short time? Is it a kind of Halloween magic? In fact, no.

In Japan, cultures from foreign countries are considered “cool”, especially for the young. Because of this tendency, Halloween became a very big event. It is also seen as easily monetizable, thus some companies sell Halloween related items.

Although Halloween may be fun for the young, the only problem is the noise. During the Halloween weekend a lot of young people with strange clothes gather up in towns all around Japan. The most famous place is Shibuya City in Tokyo. This is one of the most prosperous towns in Tokyo. A few years ago, mobs were starting to form, leading many of them to be arrested. For these reasons, there are plenty of police officers on Halloween weekend every year.