Halloween Shibuya 2016
Halloween 2016 in Shibuya was Wow!! That is all I can say. People flooded the famous pedestrian crossing that night. Talk about a “people overload” experience. Many were cute and sexy, and some looked scary. Then there was everyone else. Great costumes were everywhere. I even saw a few guys wearing underwear on their heads! Bizarre, but true.
Do you know Shibuya Halloween? I’d never heard of it in 2016! Luckily, one of my students knew I liked photography. She mentioned it. It piqued my curiosity. My Ricoh GR II compact camera was in my bag, so I went.
I bolted to Shibuya once work was over. The train got there around 10 p.m. Once out of the station, the size of the crowd shocked me. I had never seen so many people. A sea of stretched people from the Hachiko Statue to Starbucks and beyond.
Considering how packed it was, it wasn’t out of control or overly noisy. People wandered the streets, looking at other people looking at them. Everyone was looking at the famous Shibuya Crossing. They wanted to see how many bodies could cram onto it until the lights changed to green. Near the Hachiko statue, a few asked others to take photos together, but that was about it.
The event wasn’t wild. There was no crazy partying, which I guess is a good thing. It’s like dressing up to have quiet fun in a crowded place. Does that make sense? Anyway, I honestly had no idea how big Halloween 2016 would be.
In retrospect, I wish I had had my DSLR. It had far better low-light capability. But I had to work with what I had. The photos were good enough.
One thing surprised me. It was my first time asking strangers for photos. But everyone was friendly and accommodating. They left me feeling very good. No one refused.
Halloween wasn’t my thing when I was younger. But I’m glad I went in 2016. It made me more interested. Changes have happened since this first visit, but those can’t be avoided. I might even go in a costume in the future! When will I make the jump and find a suitable outfit? That is a mystery. Leave questions and comments below.
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has been photographing Tokyo since 2011. He loves his Canon EOS R5.
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