It is only recently that Japan is discovering the joys of All Hallow’s Eve. A traditionally American holiday with a background in respecting the wandering spirits of the earth, the Japanese decided to do away with the religious aspects altogether and adopt the pumpkins, candies, costumes, and merry-making associated with it. Though still only observed by a fraction of the population, Halloween is a growth industry, fueled by commercialism and a cultural need for another festival that has outfits going for it.

Perhaps the initial influence of Halloween in Japan came from Tokyo Disneyland, which led a daily Halloween Parade that started on September 12 of every year since the 80’s. Crowds hollered and took pictures with skeletons and Disney characters in costumes as they proceeded down the avenues of the Magic Kingdom.  A much more recent boost to Halloween’s popularity is the cosplay phenomenon, when the youth dress up as their favorite anime, movie or video game character whenever the chance presented itself, usually during pop culture conventions. When the idea that a holiday that allows costuming spread around, adults who were missing out in or grew out of all the pageantry found the opportunity to hang around other like-minded peers in costume parties, held by enterprising clubs with specific themes. And in a land where following strict social conventions is the norm, any excuse to loosen up is welcome. Even beloved pets are dressed in orange and black, while pumpkin-flavored Already, on the Sunday before Halloween, a giant street party forms in the streets of Kawasaki, where thousands of devils, ghosts, vampires and witches fill this area just outside of Tokyo.

Despite Japan’s new interest with Halloween, it already has an old tradition with regards to  commemorating the dead. The festival of Obon, celebrated during July or August, is a 500-year old Buddhist custom where families visit, clean and decorate their ancestors’ graves with fruits and lanterns. The name Obon, which is derived from the Sanskrit phrase meaning, “hanging upside down”, comes from a myth about a disciple of Buddha who was able to see his dead mother hanging upside-down in Buddhist hell. His intercession through offerings allowed his mother to be released, and his subsequent dance of joy became known as Bon Odori, or “Bon dance”. Bon Odori has many variations throughout the islands, although the typical dance consists of people circling a high wooden scaffold called a yagura.

Obon is highlighted with carnivals, summer fruits like watermelon and games. While the first day of this three-day festival consists of visits to ancestral graves, the second day is spent assembling tamadana (spirit altars) at home, which are memorial plaques standing atop women rush mats, while vegetarian dishes are served. The last day has whole communities gathering for the Bon Odori, and the festival ends with Toro Nagashi, the “floating of lanterns” made from lighted paper down rivers which symbolize the return of spirits to the land of the dead. Fireworks usually mark the end of the event.  Another such festival is Higan, when friends and families visit the graves of the dead during the spring and autumnal equinox, a time when days and nights are of equal length. The name Higan is based on “the other or that shore of Sanzu River “, a euphemism in Buddhist literature that refers to Enlightenment.

If you find yourself spending Halloween  in Tokyo this year, try visiting Tokyo Disneyland or Universal Studios for their annual Halloween celebrations, Omotesandu Street, Harajuku for the Hello Halloween Pumpkin Parade, or JR Kawasaki Station East Exit area for the big parade. If you’re up for some real-life scare, you can also visit the haunted well of Himeji Castle, thirty miles west of Kobe. Called Okiku’s Well, this water from this place was used to wash away the blood of people who were forced to commit ritual suicide. Most hauntings here are said to come from wronged female spirits.

Posted in Events, Japan

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