Alcohol banned at Tokyo Halloween hotspot a year after Seoul stampede

A ban on alcohol came into force around Tokyo’s tourist hotspot Shibuya on Friday in an attempt to discourage raucous Halloween gatherings a year after a deadly tragedy in South Korea. Nearly 160 people were crushed to death in a narrow alleyway in Seoul on 29 October, 2022 after tens of thousands of people poured into the Itaewon neighbourhood for holiday festivities. In Tokyo, tens of thousands of people, Japanese and foreign alike, have thronged the narrow streets around Shibuya in past years, many dressed up in Instagram-ready zombie costumes. The crowds have slowed down emergency services attempting to reach people in need. “We’re extremely concerned accidents similar to the fatal case in Itaewon in Seoul last October could happen anytime,” the district’s mayor Ken Hasebe said this month. Ahead of this weekend, a video released by authorities in Japanese and English focused also on the annoyances caused to locals such as vandalism, litter and noise. “This Halloween night everyone should stay away from Shibuya. Some people live in Shibuya,” the video message says. “Violence. Drinking on the street. Smoking on the street. Traffic violation. You can’t choose how your actions will affect others.” Billboards have been put up and a famous statue of Hachiko the faithful dog that is a popular meeting place outside Shibuya Station was also set to be covered up with a temporary enclosure.