Crack open a cold one and celebrate--Halloween has officially taken root in Japan. The sober stretch between summer festivals and end-of-the-year parties makes Autumn a dry season but in recent years college kids have flocked to city-wide costume parades to keep the good times rolling.
Sadly if the news is to be believed the biggest Shibuya Halloween bash to date could also be the last. While no major crimes were reported the police were powerless against the flash mob assembled on Center Street. Bottles were broken, jaywalkers jaywalked, social mores were thrown out the window, but how do you make an arrest when half the crowd is wearing identical store-bought costumes? There's strength in numbers. As well as temporary insanity--something the city could use a little of from time to time.
