Halloween In Japan

[Ceewan]

Halloween is still a relatively new holiday in Japan but it is catching on more and more every year. I tried to get our resident photography expert member aquamarine to share some pix of Japanese Halloween parades but alas he never has. I think Halloween is a particulary good fit for Japan as cosplay is already pretty popular and there are plenty of ghosts that haunt Japan already. Of course, like everything else, Japan puts their own twist on things:

Just in time for Halloween, McDonald’s is serving up the Squid Ink (Ikasumi in Japanese) Burger. 370 yen (US$3.40) gets you two patties covered with fried onions and cheese, all sandwiched inside a bun dyed with squid ink

 

[Ceewan]

Some Halloween Parades in Japan this year:

When: Oct 25

Place: Roppongi Hills, Tokyo

Every year, over 3,000 people join this popular Halloween parade, one of Tokyo’s largest. This year, participants will be asked to dress up as famous movie characters to march in the parade.

The one-kilometer route will start at Roppongi Hills Arena and then go down Roppongi Keyaki-zaka. Children will receive snacks after the parade.

If you wish to participate, please register at Roppongi Hills Arena between 10:30 and 13:00 on the day of the parade.

Plan on pulling out all the stops on your costume this year because the person wearing the best one at this year’s Kawasaki Halloween Parade wins big bucks and a trip to Italy.

On Oct. 26 the annual Kawasaki Halloween Parade returns with an expanded parade route and a cash prize of ¥100,000 for the winner of the parade’s yearly Best Costume Award. Last year, around 2,500 people came out to show off their costumes.

http://lacittadella.co.jp/halloween_english/
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Harajuku-Omotesando Hello Halloween Pumpkin Parade 2014


Sun Oct 26, 2014

The Hello Halloween Pumpkin Parade, staged in Harajuku-Omotesando, is Japan’s first masquerade parade as well as one of its largest. Welcoming the 31st anniversary this year, it expects to shine the spotlight on some 1,000 children dressed up as cute ghosts and goblins in a march from Jingumae Elementary School and back along the one-kilometer-long stretch of Omotesando between Meiji-dori and Aoyama-dori streets. The event is fun for moms and dads, too. Establishments in the area offer special Halloween menus and lotteries, and Space O, on the B3 floor of Omotesando Hills, sets up a Halloween plaza featuring retailers, entertainment, and toys for the whole family.

__________________________________________________
ShimoKita Halloween 2014

When: Oct. 26 (Sun) 3pm – 5am (next day)
What: Halloween Festival 4-5pm Kids Halloween Costume Contest
7-8 pm Adults Halloween Costume Contest
8pm – 5am Shops stay open all night
Fees: 500 yen for kids to join the costume contest

 

[Ceewan]

In the tradition of Halloween let us visit some spooky places in Japan:
Aokigahara Forest(青木ヶ原)

Called "the perfect place to die," the Aokigahara forest has the unfortunate distinction of the world's second most popular place to take one's life. Located at the base of Mt. Fuji, Aokigahara is perhaps the most infamous forest in all of Japan. Also known as the Sea of Trees, Suicide Forest, and Japan’s Demon Forest, Aokigahara has been home to over 500 confirmed suicides since the 1950s.

Legend says that this all started after Seicho Matsumoto published a novel by the name of Kuroi Kaiju (Black Sea of Trees) in 1960. The story ends with two lovers committing suicide in the forest, so many people believe that’s what started it all. However, the history of suicide in Aokigahara predates the novel, and the place has long been associated with death. Hundreds upon hundreds of Japanese people have hanged themselves from the trees of Aokigahara forest.

Wataru Tsurumui’s controversial 1993 bestseller, The Complete Suicide Manual, is a book that describes various modes of suicide and even recommends Aokigahara as the perfect place to die. Apparently this book is also a common find in the forest, usually not too far away from a suicide victim and their belongings. Undoubtedly, the most common method of suicide in the forest is hanging.

The vast forest covers a 3,500 hectare wide area and the tree coverage in Aokigahara is so thick that even at high noon it’s entirely possible to find places shrouded in complete darkness. It’s also mostly devoid of animals and is eerily quiet. Hearing a bird chirping in the forest is incredibly rare. The area is rocky, cold, and littered with over 200 caves for you to accidentally fall into.

Further compounding the creepiness factor is the common occurrence of compasses, cell phones, and GPS systems being rendered useless by the rich deposits of magnetic iron in the area’s volcanic soil. There is also a variety of unofficial trails that are used semi-regularly for the annual "body hunt" done by local volunteers.

In Japanese mythology (with 1,000 year old poems mentioning the accursed forest), Aokigahara has always been associated with demonic possession and suicide. Ancient manuscripts tell of lovesick Samurai slicing open their bellies while suffering the insurmountable pain of unrequited love amongst the grove of gnarly Japanese Cypress and Red Pines. There are also countless tales of men driven mad by demons who entered the forest seeking hapless campers (and lovers) to devour.

 

[Ceewan]

The Himuro Mansion

The exact location of the Himuro Mansion (or Himikyru Mansion as it is sometimes known) is widely unknown but the legend puts the mansion in a rocky region just beyond the city limits of Tokyo.

The mansion is said to have been home to one of the most gruesome murders in modern Japanese history. Local lore has it that for generations, the Himuro family had participated in a strange, twisted Shinto ritual known as “The Strangling Ritual” in order to seal off bad karma from within the Earth, every half century or so.

The most popular version of the tale states that bad karma would emerge each December (other versions simply say “toward the end of the year”) from a portal on the Mansions grounds. In order to prevent this, a maiden was chosen at birth by the master of the household and isolated from the outside world in order to prevent her from developing any ties to the outside world, which would in turn, jeopardize the effect of the ritual.

On the day of the Strangling Ritual, the maiden was bound by ropes on her ankles, wrists, and neck. The ropes were attached to teams of oxen or horses to rip her limbs from her body, quartering her. The ropes used to bind her appendages would then be soaked in her blood and laid over the gateway of the portal. They believed that this would seal off the portal for another half century until the ritual had to be repeated.

During the last recorded Strangling Ritual it is said that the maiden had fallen in love with a man who tried to save her from the ritual. This “tie” to Earth tainted her blood and spirit and ruined the ritual altogether. Upon learning of the maidens love, the master took up his sword and brutally murdered all of his family members, before finally, in fear of what would soon happen, fell upon his own blade.

Local legend has it that these souls of the murdered family wander the mansion attempting to repeat the failed ritual using whomever enters the abandoned building. Blood splashes on the walls are reportedly seen, as if they were flicked from the blade of a sword that had recently sliced through flesh. Many have reported seeing spirits and apparitions dressed completely in white, rinsing cloths and preparing the grounds for the ritual.

Interest in the Himuro Mansion has peaked due to it’s inclusion into the back story of the popular game, Fatal Frame.

 

[Ceewan]

Of course Himuro Mansion is considered an urban legend and most people even doubt its' existence (good ghost story though). Here is one that is about as real as it gets:

Ghost Island


More commonly referred to as Battleship Island it is one of the worlds largest ghost towns. The island got famous because of his unbelievable appearance: surrounded by a sea wall, you will find an entire abandoned city with huge concrete buildings. The original name of the island is actually Hashima, but it is also called the Battleship Island (translation of Gunkanjima) or the Ghost Island. This island is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture of Japan about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself.

It began in 1890 when a company called Mitsubishi bought the island and began a project to retrieve coal from the bottom of the sea. This attracted much attention, and in 1916 they were forced to build Japan’s first large concrete building on the island. A block of apartments that would both accommodate the seas of workers and protect them from hurricanes.

In 1959, population had swelled, and boasted a density of 835 people per hectare for the whole island (1,391 per hectare for the residential district) - one of the highest population densities ever recorded worldwide. As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960’s, coal mines began shutting down all over the country, and Hashima’s mines were no exception. In 1974 Mitsubishi officially announced the closing of the mine, and today it is empty and bare, with travel currently prohibited. (A small portion of the island was re-opened for tourism on April 22, 2009.)


The island was the location for the 2003 film ‘Battle Royale II’ and inspired the final level of popular Asian videogame "Killer7". It appeared recently in the 2012 James Bond movie Skyfall and got even more famous.

A deserted island of concrete ruins slowly crumbling away off the West coast of Japan. Gunkanjima only measures 1.2km in circumference. Less than half a kilometre lengthways.

Now if I was a ghost, (and who is to say I'm not?), this would be a perfect place to haunt.

 

[shinigamie]

Spooky scary.

 

[Ceewan]

The Japanese Ghost Story of Okiku


One of the most well known of the many Japanese ghost stories there are many versions and it is said that the tale was the inspiration for the movie The Ring. The most popular version is perhaps the one from Himeji Castle, one of the most visited and famous castles in Japan:


My favorite version is the simple Folklore version so that is the one I will share:

Once there was a beautiful servant named Okiku. She worked for the samurai Aoyama Tessan. Okiku often refused his amorous advances, so he tricked her into believing that she had carelessly lost one of the family's ten precious delft plates. Such a crime would normally result in her death. In a frenzy, she counted and recounted the nine plates many times. However, she could not find the tenth and went to Aoyama in guilty tears. The samurai offered to overlook the matter if she finally became his lover, but again she refused. Enraged, Aoyama threw her down a well to her death.

It is said that Okiku became a vengeful spirit (Onryō) who tormented her murderer by counting to nine and then making a terrible shriek to represent the missing tenth plate – or perhaps she had tormented herself and was still trying to find the tenth plate but cried out in agony when she never could.

 

[Ceewan]

The Black Hair


There was a samurai living in poverty in the capitol, who was suddenly summoned to the service of a Lord of a distant land. The samurai eagerly accepted the offer, but abandoned his wife of many years in favor of taking another woman he desired along with him.

When his responsibilities to the Lord had finished, the samurai returned to the capitol and found himself longing for his old wife. He went that night to the old house where they had once lived. It was midnight, and the full autumn moon bathed the home in light. The gate was open, and the samurai entered his old dwelling only to find his much-missed wife sitting silently by herself.

She showed neither anger nor resentment towards her husband for his ill-use of her, but instead offered him greetings and welcomed him back after his long time away.

The samurai, overcome with emotion, swore to his wife that they would live together from now on and never be parted. Pleased by the happiness this brought to his wife’s face, the samurai embraced her and they held each other until sleep took them.

The samurai was woken in the morning by the bright morning sun that battered the house more harshly than had the previous autumn moon. He looked about himself, and found that instead of embracing his wife he was holding a dry corpse, nothing but bits of flesh clinging to bone wrapped in long black hair.

He leapt to his feet and rushed into the neighbors house;

“What happened to the woman who lived next door?”

“Her? She was abandoned by her husband long ago, and died of an illness brought on by her sorrow. It was just this summer that she died. Because there was no one to care for her or give her a funeral, her body lays still where she died.”

 

[shinigamie]

*sarcasm* You think if I go to japan and I tell the girls these scary stories that they will cling to me like damsels in distress?

 

[Ceewan]

*seriously* better to take her to a scary movie if you want her to cling to you.

In Japan ghost stories are normally told in the summer.

The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival in modern day, Zhong Yuan Jie or Yu Lan Jie (traditional Chinese: 盂蘭節) is a traditional Buddhist and Taoist festival held in Asian countries. In the Chinese calendar (a lunisolar calendar), the Ghost Festival is on the 15th night of the seventh month (14th in southern China).

Late July marks the official start of O-bon, the Festival of the Dead, where Japanese people visit the graves of their ancestors and/or pay their respects to the recently departed.

It’s also a semi-official vacation for many, and the trains out of Tokyo fill-up with families going back home to visit the living and the dead.

Some Japanese families who can’t afford to travel put offerings on the family Buddhist altar and welcome their departed in-laws into the home for a few days before wishing them farewell. (In some cases, when the visiting ghosts won’t leave, they have to call in a Buddhist exorcist to kick them out. Maybe.)

The history of the holiday which came to be known an O-bon/お盆–pronounced like Oh! Bone!–is very long and the stories as to how it came to be celebrated in Japan are as ethereal and mysterious as your average ghost.

The old lunar calendar that was used up until the Edo period actually had the holiday on July 15th but the modern calendar places it on August 15th. This means that now it also coincidentally comes on the same day that Japan surrendered to the United States and World War II ended.

O-bon was originally a Buddhist holiday that dates back as least as far as the year 606 in Japan, where it was written up in Nihon Shoki (日本書紀) one of Japan’s earliest historical records. At that time it was called 盂蘭盆会 (urabonkai). It was believed that on this day if you made offerings to the local Buddhist monks, that the spirits of your parents and other ancestors would be saved from spending time in the lower realms of existence and be sent on to a better incarnation.

In time, over centuries, with the free-market liberalization of the metaphysical world, the Buddhist monks got cut out of the distribution system and now the offerings are made directly to the spirits.

The “bon” in O-bon (盆) itself refers to the vessels (plates, bowls, tupperware etc) in which offerings are placed upon for the spirits of the deceased. The physical bowl has come to refer to the holiday or the period where the holiday is celebrated in modern lingo. Of course, O-bon as a holiday could be translated as “honorable container day” but then it wouldn’t sound as cool as “Japanese Festival Of The Dead.” The practice of offering food and drinks (such as Pepsi-Watermelon Cola and Wasabi Potato Chips etc) to the visiting spirits is believed to have spread from the original ceremony in Japan’s hip 600s.

There is even a Buddhist holy book about O-bon, called the 盂蘭盆経 (Urabonkyo) which establishes the basic ideas of the holiday. In this tale, a disciple of Buddha, named 目連 (Mokuren) finds out that his deceased mother is trapped in the realm of hungry ghosts (餓鬼) and tries to find a way to relieve her suffering.　*Buddhism postulates six realms of existence. Hungry ghosts aka gaki (餓鬼) are spirits with huge stomachs and small throats that can never get enough to eat and are perpetually famished.

The exact date varies by region, because the holiday was originally celebrated on the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar, and different areas used different methods to adapt that to the Gregorian calendar when it was introduced into Japan in the Meiji Era. Now most places use August 15th as the official date. It is not a national holiday, though most people have time off work and many businesses are closed.

Every region also has different methods of celebrating. There are hundreds of variations on the bon-odori, or folk dancing to entertain the dead and show thanks for their sacrifices. The most famous of these is the Awa Odori in Tokushima.

Most communities also celebrate with some form of fire, which was used as a beacon for spirits to find their way back into this world. Some places use chochin paper lanterns, others light bonfires. Many people also set candles in small paper lanterns adrift on rivers, carrying the spirits back to the ocean.

 

[Ceewan]

Hotel Mystays Akasaka (Formerly Weekly Mansion Akasaka)

Looking for a comfortable and affordable place to stay while in Tokyo?

When most Westerners consider Japan and their hauntings, most people think of Aokigahara, or the Suicide Forest, at the foot of Mount Fuji. But with Hotel MyStays Akasaka, the spirits are incredibly active. Those who have stayed or live here, specifically in Building number 1, have more than a few hair-raising tales to tell.

No one is certain who these ghosts were in life. There have been a few suicides and sudden deaths in Building 1 that may be contributing to the psychic unrest in Akasaka. Those who have either stayed here on an extended stay or lived in one of the apartments report the same or very similar activity. Spectral images of people have appeared at the foot of a person's bed only to vanish when the resident questions who they may be. Others have watched as a white mist hovers in the hallways of Building 1 and disappears into the air vents. These events may seem benign in nature, but the ghosts of Hotel MyStays Akasaka have a dark and dangerous side as well.

Over the years a number of residents have reported the sensation of some unseen hand stroking their hair and touching their private parts as they sleep at night. Men report the feeling of female hands touching them, and female residents report strong rough hands holding them down as they sleep. One female resident even made the claim that an unseen entity threw her out of bed and dragged her across her room by her hair. Needless to say, she departed the building quickly, screaming into the night.


This hotel has a wonderful location just four minutes from Akasaka Station and eight minutes from Tameike-Sanno Station on foot. The spacious rooms will allow guests to feel at home, and all rooms have free internet access.

[Access Info]
From Akasaka Station: Exit the station via Exit 5B. Continue along the road to the right and you will see Kusuri Higushi on your right. Continue straight and there will be a Poplar convenience store along the hill to your left. Turn left just before the convenience store and continue straight for about 30 meters. The entrance to the hotel is on the right.

 

[shinigamie]

Soooo the hotel isnt haunted?

Its a regular hotel?

Its close to a haunted place ?

 

[Ceewan]

It is actually considered by some one of the most haunted hotels in the world....that doesn't stop people from staying there but it may explain their reasonable rates.

 

[yellowhitey]

i was just watching the suicide forest clip on youtube and i would not be surprised if say, one camped there for one or two nights without leaving, that they'd witness something bizarre, spooky or completely beyond our world understanding. I don't know if you've ever watched a youtube video from a guy named Kurt Bell who used to live in Japan til he moved back to California earlier this year. He mentioned in one of his videos that once during his one of many hiking adventures deep into the forests near where he used to live, he once spotted from the corner of his eye a floating round object the size of a basketball that was furry with a dark brown center and it spun quietly as it hovered two yards above the ground. As he turned to see whether he was seeing things, the unidentified floating object dropped suddenly and rolled away in the other direction of the forest floor.

what struck me about this was not long before I saw that video, my roommate's grandfather told us a story when he was a boy in 1948 in which he described a similar unfamiliar object he encountered. One day as he was walking home from school, he decided to cut through a stretch of trees as a short cut, instead of walking around the perimeter, that covered an area about the size of two soccer fields that was between his house and his school. As he was walking along about 6-7 meters in, he was confronted with a round brownish-black object that hovered five feet above ground that made no noise. The grandfather said he felt this thing was stalking him the moment he entered the area. Scared, he ran back toward the opening in which he said he saw it floating toward him as if chasing him. As he was screaming for help, a group of older boys walking home heard him and went in to see what was the matter. By the time he escaped the area, the thing disappeared.

anyway, the other articles are very interesting. Never heard of that battleship island before. Very eerie. Seeing it from the shoreline looking out toward it reminds me of the scene when Perseus was to cross the dead lake in order to get to Medusa's island.

i think Japan would be a perfect place to get all dressed up for Halloween. Would love to be a part of the festivities if i ever get the chance to go back.

 

[Ceewan]

Another reason that Halloween is a perfect fit for Japan is not only their fondness for telling ghost stories but the folklore rich treasure trove of ghosts.

Onryo

Onryo are female ghosts that were abused or neglected by their lovers. They dwell in the physical world after death seeking vengeance. Powerless in life they become strong in death. Strangely enough they rarely harm the lovers who vexed them.

The Japanese spirit world is structured with the spirit world itself and the physical world on opposite ends of a spectrum, with a middle-ground purgatory creating a gap between them. The purgatory is essentially a place of reflection where spirits linger until they accept their fate and move on to the spirit world. However, those with strong emotional attachments to the living can cross the gap and return the physical world. In the case of onryo, the emotions are hatred or sorrow, and they only return to rest when they have their revenge, which is always justified.

Stories of onryo often involve cheating husbands being haunted but indirectly harmed; usually the spirit will wreak havoc on the village where their lover lives or kill their new lover to right themselves. These ghost stories used as cautionary tales against bad husbands, though given the number of these stories they probably weren't effective at deterring any on-the-side-boning.

Ubume


Ubume can be translated to mean “childbirth woman.” These spirits are those of mothers who died during childbirth or before they could properly take care of their child. Given their grim origins, the stories revolving around these spirits are more sorrowful than those of onryo and focus on the mother's quest to ensure her child's safety after her own death. They cross purgatory through both their love and fear.

Generally there are two types of Ubume stories. The first involves the spirit directly interacting with her child after death, serving as a sort of guardian angel. There's no haunting to be had in these stories. However, in her providing for the child, the mother inadvertently leaves clues to her deceased nature behind. The most common are coins left for their child which turn into dead leaves after they've been exchanged.

The second type of the story sees the mother's spirit attempt to find a stranger and guide it to her baby so it can be raised up in society by someone who isn't ethereal and creepy. Stories of ubume carry the moral that a mother's love never ceases, nor is her job ever truly done.

 

[Ceewan]

more ghosts:

Goryo

In medieval Japan, it was a common belief that one's social status carried over with them into the spirit world. The more powerful someone was, the more likely it would make them a ghost capable of great destruction, so continuing to respect the dead was very important.

Goryo are “honorable spirits” of the aristocratic classes who had been wronged during their lives, making them a vengeance ghost similar to onryo. Unlike onryo, these ghosts weren't powerless house wives but powerful lords, courtiers and other political figures whose powers as spirits translated into natural disasters and catastrophes, capable of causing floods or flash fires and killing hundreds of people at a time, innocent or not. However, the rampage of a goryo didn't necessarily end with the death of those who wronged them. Only the supernaturally powered yamabushis (mountain ascetic hermits) could put these spirits to rest.


Funayurei

Local to small fishing villages of Japan's coasts, funayurei are the marine spirits, the ghosts of those who drowned at sea. Though usually not the result of military conflict (those who died in battle or on a battlefield are considered separate spirits on their own) just about any old death by drowning will fit the bill. The ghosts appear at night on a phantom ship which they don't leave.

Their ship will linger by the coast in wait of passing fishing vessels. As one passes by, the ghost crew cries for help in repairing their sinking ship. Here's where the story gets really weird: should the fishermen in question be nice enough to help out the spirits, it totally bites him on the ass. If the funayurei are given a bucket they will immediately use it to fill the fishing vessel with water and kill all those on board.

Zashiki-warashi


Zashiki-warashi are child ghosts who dwell in large well maintained houses. They are mischievous and may play small tricks on the living. However, seeing a zashiki-warashi or having one in your house is considered very lucky and can bring great fortunes.Should they be able to adopt the child into their family, they are rewarded financially. However, should you fall out of their favor they will leave your abode, signaling the eventual ruin of your house and family. Again, they can be jerks. If you're in the market for an undead brat, they prefer larger, well kept homes over the shoddy studio apartment you're probably reading this article from.

 

[shinigamie]

Child ghosts are always a no

 

[tylersailer]

Ceewan, thanks for interesting stories. Japanese ghost stories are uncanny as hell. Mixture of animism and spirituality... God I should not read these at night...

As for Halloween, I think many business and industries are using the festive just to promote whatever the products they have. Candy, chocolate, flowers, cosmetics... And general public do not know what Halloween actually is. Especially young ones are just enjoying the party.

*Found on internet. Not my photo.

This is in the street in Shibuya, Tokyo. Seemingly many cosplay young girls were there. And boys too.

Fujiya cake shop ad.

Halloween is becoming a thing in Japan. What's next? Thanksgiving? Censorship on Akiba stuff (I'm talking about you UK!)?

 

[Ceewan]

Nearing that time of year again so I thought I would update this thread:


Pepsi Ghost” brings a mysterious new flavor for Halloween in Japan


Pepsi Ghost comes in a wide range of bottle designs featuring various classic Halloween costumes such as witches, ghosts and mummies. Each bottle is simply labeled “Mystery Flavor” with no indication of what it is.

 

[Ceewan]

Halloween events in Japan and Okinawa

Japan


HALLOWEEN FESTA IN MISAWA (Aomori prefecture): Oct. 17, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Halloween parade and costume contest and more at Misawa Arcade-Shopping Mall; 0176-53-2175.

YOKOHAMA YAMANOTE WESTERN-STYLE BUILDINGS HALLOWEEN (Kanagawa prefecture): Oct. 17-31; Oct. 25, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Halloween Walk starts at Yamate Western-Style Building and only costumed children can participate; 045-663-5685.

KAWASAKI HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL 2015 (Kanagawa prefecture): Oct. 24 & 25, kids’ costume parade with parents from Ginza to LA CITTADELLA at noon, 1:30 & 3 p.m. Sat.; Halloween parade for ages 6+ wearing costumes at JR Kawasaki Station 2:30-3:45 p.m. Sun., along with Halloween party, costume contest, film festival and more; 044-233-1934.

ODAIBA HALLOWEEN PARK (Tokyo): Oct. 24 & 25; parade with pop artists 1-2 p.m., along with live performances such as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, May J., Angela, HoneyWorks, Garnidelia, Fumika, Tempura Kids, Flow, Glim Spanky, Charisma.com and more at T-Spook Rooftop Stage of Aqua City Odaiba, 7th floor, one-minute walk from Daiba Station on Yurikamome (monorail) or six-minute walk from Tokyo Teleport Station on Rinkai Line; 1,000 yen for ages 6+ in costume for the Halloween parade, free for live performances.

HARAJUKU OMOTESANDO HELLO HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN PARADE 2015 (Tokyo): Oct. 25, 1-2:15 p.m.; parade by 1,000 children ages 12 & younger along Harajuku Omotesando Street; attractions nearby; JR Harajuku Station or Omotesando Station on Ginza/Chiyoda lines; registration required at tinyurl.com/owpdkf8; 1,000 yen per child; 03-3406-0988.

SHIMOKITA HALLOWEEN 2015 (Tokyo): Oct. 25, 3 p.m.-5 a.m.; kids’ Halloween costume contest 4-5 p.m., followed by parade of 500 people on streets near Shimokitazawa Station on Keio Line; Halloween parties run at affiliated restaurants until 5 a.m.; 1,000 yen includes one drink; 03-3418-5986.

ROPPONGI HALLOWEEN 2015 (Tokyo): Oct. 25, 1-5 p.m.; parade in costume as movie characters from Roppongi Middle School, Keyakizaka, Roppongi Intersection, Stars and Stripes Street and National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies; 1,500 yen for Trick or Treat, 2,000 yen for parade and Trick or Treat.

IKEBUKURO HALLOWEEN COSPLAY (DRESS-UP) FEST (Tokyo): Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; more than 10,000 people at a Halloween party that includes stage events noon-5 p.m., cosplay parade on Sunshine Street 2-3 p.m. near East Exit of JR Ikebukura Station; 500 yen for cosplay participants, includes using dressing room and locker; 03-3985-8311.

SHIMOKITA KIDS HALLOWEEN 2015 (Tokyo): Oct. 31, noon-3 p.m.; 2,000 kids ages 5 & younger in costume Trick or Treat in shops identified on a map near Shimokitazawa Station on Odakyu Line; 1,000 yen (guardian required).

HALLOWEEN AT SEIBU AMUSEMENT PARK (Saitama prefecture): Through Oct. 31; attractions including a dog fashion show, estimating pumpkin’s weight compared with your dog 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 10-12, 30-minute parade 4:45 & 5:45 p.m. Oct. 31 at Seibu Amusement Park; Seibu Yuenchi Station or Yuenchi-nishi Station on Seibu Shinjuku Line; 3,300 yen adults, 2,800 yen children, 2,900 yen adults, 2,500 yen children with dress-up; 0429-22-1371.

TOKYO DOME HAPPY HALLOWEEN: Through Nov. 1; attractions such as hunting pumpkins during rides, free face-painting 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 26-30 & 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 31, and kids Halloween parade 11 a.m.-noon & 2-3 p.m. Oct. 31; free admission, one-day passport for rides is 1,300 yen ages 3-5, 2,100 yen ages 6-11, 3,400 yen ages 12-17, 3,900 yen ages 18+, 2,600 yen ages 3+ 5 rides (2,100 yen Oct. 10-Nov. 1).

DISNEY HALLOWEEN (Chiba prefecture): Through Nov. 1; 40-minute parade twice daily with more than 90 Disney-costumed characters on seven floats at Disneyland and 25-minute performances by 120 Disney-costumed characters on five barges three times daily at DisneySea; Tokyo Disneyland, two-minute ride from Resort Gate Station/Maihama Station, JR Keiyo Line; Tokyo DisneySea: three-minute ride from Resort Gate Station/Maihama Station, JR Keiyo Line.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN — HALLOWEEN (Osaka): Through Nov. 8; join in the daily Halloween costume parade, go trick-or-treating and experience Halloween Horror Night – “Trauma,” “Chucky’s Horror Factory 2,” “The Night Killer,” “Alien vs. Predator,” “Biohazard The Real 3,” and more 6 p.m. Fri.-Mon.; Universal City Station on JR Yumesaki-Line; 06-6465-3000.

Okinawa


MOON ROSES HALLOWEEN NIGHT DREAM: Oct. 24, 7 p.m.; bellydancing performed at Ashibina Okinawa Citizens’ Hall (small); 2,500 yen adults, 1,000 yen kids for advance tickets; 090-3141-1133.

RISONARE KOHAMAJIMA HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: Through Oct. 31; attractions including night illumination on the private beach and more; 10-minute ride from Kohamajima Port after taking a 25-minute high-speed ferry ride from Ishigaki Islands; 0980-84-6300.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN KANUCHA RESORT: Through Oct. 31; includes Halloween 3-D Projection Mapping Theater at the Garden Pool area 8-9 p.m., along with Halloween photo stage; 098-869-5575.

PUMPKIN PANIC 2015: Oct. 31, 7-11 p.m.; biggest Halloween party on Okinawa, featuring group photo contest and group costume contest on Halloween; Otoichiba Music Town 3rd Floor; 3,000 yen (all you can drink); 090-5937-7154.

OKINAWA OMOSHIRO OBAKEYASHIKI (HAUNTED HOUSE): Through Nov. 1, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; five-minute walk from Makie Station; 1,200 yen adults, 1,000 yen junior and senior high school students, 700 yen children, 200-300 yen discounts for Okinawa residents; 098-943-6244.