Halloween Hustle in Shibuya

Hey folks!

How are you all?

So, this post is coming a little late as I haven't been around to write blog posts for a while, but I have finally been able to take a restful weekend so... better late than never!

This year I met up with a friend in Shibuya for Halloween. Little did we know, it would be both the best, and worst idea!

 I had been to Shibuya exactly two years ego on Halloween night and while there were a few people dressed up in costumes it would not prepare me for the night I had ahead of me.

It seems that within two years Halloween has gained an awful lot of popularity!  After emerging from the station to find a mass of people I realised that finding my friend would be no easy task.
We managed to find each other without too much difficulty however our search for a coin locker turned out to be fruitless and so I ended up looking more like a pack-horse than a spooky-scary monster for Halloween.
If you ever plan on going to a large event like this in Japan I would advise coming very early or searching for coin lockers that are separate from the station if you intend on using them otherwise you run the risk of becoming a beast of burden like me.

These guys were wearing Kigurumi (animal/character onsies) whilst zipping around the streets

While it was crowded from the outset, we had no idea just how crowded it would become later.

Instead of people going to clubs or house parties for Halloween, people gathered in Shibuya to hang out and see the fantastic costumes people were wearing. It became almost like a huge costume parade down the streets of Shibuya.

We joined the throngs and wandered the streets enjoying the sights

A herd of wild Pikachu appeared!  *notice the sneaky Keep Out Guy in the corner*

The guys dressed up as 10,000 yen (£50) notes were popular

May not be clear but these guys have taps coming out of their crotches.... yup.

Yeah, this happened.... They were certainly popular with the ladies.

These girls were just too cool for school.

 It started to get more and more crowded as the night went on and it became gradually more difficult to make it down the streets.

People watched from Bershka as the throngs became thicker 

Zombie brides and Attack on Titan cosplays

A rather creepy un-dead version of Amazon's mascot Danbo

* fun fact: Danbo sounds like the Japanese word for cardboard 'Danbooru'*

We were getting peckish and given my poor choice of footwear, I was grateful for a chance to rest so we went to a Korean restaurant to re-fuel.

I can never resist cheese tteokbokki!

One of the best costumes of the night was this Halloween mikoshi. A mikoshi is a palanquin used to transport deities. They are usually seen at festivals where they are carried along the streets from the main shrine to a temporary or new shrine.

I really loved this costume because it was definitely something you wouldn't see outside Japan, and I thought it was great that a group of friends had come together to make a float big and sturdy enough to carry the friend on top. They were really enthusiastic, chanting "wasshoi!" (heave ho!) as they bounced her and the mikoshi through the crowd and really got the crowds going!

Cameras at the ready!

It was about this time that the crowds started to get really dense. It got to the point where we were packed in like sardines so I was unable to take pictures. It was such a squash that we could barely move and simply had to shuffle along with the crowds. There was no way to pick your path and I had to cling to my friend to avoid being separated. The rabble was so bad that an accessory was pulled off my bag by the sea of people pushing past us.

It the numbers were so huge that police had to cordon-off sections of the famous Shibuya crossing in order to control the flow of the crowds. 

Taking refuge

When we got back to the station, hanging around outside was not an option so we took refuge at the foot of the stairs leading into the metro.

In fact the crowds were so bad that it appeared on the news:

Not my photo: http://www.yukawanet.com/archives/4960448.html

This gives you an idea of the crowds. Picture from: http://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/000061653.html

A sea of people.  Photo from: https://twitter.com/ui_nyan/status/660371174539395072/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The sudden increase in popularity of Halloween is certainly surprising! I couldn't have imagined I would be able to see this number of revelers in Shibuya two years ago.
While I certainly wouldn't recommend going to Shibuya on Halloween if you aren't a fan of crowds, it was certainly an experience which I hope to try again. Only, next time I hope to dress up in true Halloween spirit!

It was great seeing all the creative and funny costumes and hope that I get a chance to do this again next year.

While it is a bit late, I hope you all had a great Halloween this year!

See you next time!

Day 45 - Niji no Kai Halloween party

Hey everyone!

I have got a massive backlog of posts so you will have to forgive me as I will be posting on some rather outdated topics!

October 26th was Niji no Kai's annual Halloween party!

I was really looking forward to the Halloween party and as I may have mentioned in a previous post, I had my costume ready to go!

Costume ready and waiting

Remember Donkihote? Donkihote is the big shop that sells a huge variety of stuff at pretty cheap prices. Amy and I both picked up our costumes from here as they had a pretty big selection of Halloween stuff.
In fact Donki usually stocks a range of seasonal products for all your celebratory needs in a section at the front of the store.

I thought that with my blonde hair and short stature Alice in Wonderland was a no-brainer so I picked up my favorite looking Alice costume. Donki not only stocked a variety of costumes but there were usually a few different designs for each one. Amy decided on a cute witch costume.

My costume included the blue dress, white apron and a headband, unfortunately the white tights were not included so I had to make a frantic trip back to Donki to pick up one of the last pairs!
I also bought some Disney brand Alice in Wonderland themed nail tips to go with the costume!

I obviously couldn't lug all my nail varnishes to Japan so unfortunately haven't been able to do any nail art since I arrived here so the Alice nail tips were a good substitute. It didn't come with glue so I had to quickly run back into Donki on the night of the party to get some, so if you buy any make sure you check if it has the glue!
I had never used stick on nails before and was a bit nervous about how they would turn out but I was really impressed. they are pretty easy to use and look good, the only advice I would give is to make sure you buy a good glue, if you don't they will tend to come off more easily!

Here are some obligatory selfies of me in costume (excuse the messyness, they were taken in the morning after the party!)

We met up at Takadanobaba and once everyone had arrived we made our way in a huge group to the station.

I hadn't managed to have time to stick my nails on so Shereen helped me to stick them on using her by-far superior glue while we were on the train.Not a recommended place for doing such an activity!

Faces of concentration (Amy's pic)

The party was really fun! Everyone was dressed up and some people had put a lot of effort into their costumes!

It was a really good chance to meet and talk to the Japanese students. We met so many new people!

There were tables covered with snacks and drinks were available too. 

Near the end of the evening there was also a costume contest but unfortunately as I was queuing up for the loo at the time I missed the winner! (fail!)

I would definitely recommend the joining Niji no Kai to any prospective Waseda foreign exchange students. They have a wide variety of events from seasonal parties, days out in Tokyo and longer trips where you can experience Japan outside of Tokyo. There are always lots of fun activities and the members are really nice so it's a good circle to join if you want to make new friends. A good thing about their events is that if you are usually a shy person, the activities help you get involved and overcome your shyness.
I met lots of new people at the Halloween party and it was great getting to know them! The only thing from there on after exchanging Line ID's and or Facebook profiles is to keep in contact after - which I am afraid to admit is something I need to work on!
It is much easier to talk to people during Niji no Kai events because the atmosphere is always good but once the events are over it is hard to have the confidence to keep in contact outside of the events. This is something I definitely want to change!

Dopplegangers! (Amy's pic)

Amy and I met two girls who were wearing slightly different versions of our costumes so of course we took some photos together and got to talking. 

Scary!

As you can see some people really did well on their costumes. The girl in the picture above did all the special effects makeup herself! Not only did she do her face but she also had fake wounds on her arms!

A cute spin on Sully and mike!

The girl in the Mike costume above had cute little Mike feet covers on her shoes!

Cookies and crisps and sweets - oh my!

As is rather common with Japanese parties it ended pretty early so a bunch of us were hoping to go on to a second party. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out and we ended up ambling around Tokyo for a while until some of us eventually gave up. Stomachs feeling a bit empty we headed into a restaurant to curb the hunger pangs.

At the restaurant

Unlike some of the others, I wasn't feeling so hungry - probably scoffed too many cookies! - so I ordered something small....

...NATTO! If you haven't heard about natto it is kind of like the Japanese equivalent of Marmite, only not in taste. You either love it or you hate it! Natto is actually fermented soybeans, the beans are a light brown colour and have a kind of viscous slime that keeps them together and it emits a fairly strong fermenting smell.
The natto that I bought came with a packet of mustard to go with it. I know I am not really selling it here and for foreigners it may be a little too different from what they are used to but if you have the chance, I would definitely say give it a go.

You can see the stringy sticky substance amongst the beans

I had actually tried Natto before coming to Japan, however it was a long time ago and I had forgotten how I originally felt about the food so I wanted to try it again. Now to contradict what I said earlier, I found that I neither hated nor did I have any overwhelming love for the snack. The fermented flavour is quite strong and could perhaps be likened to a stinky cheese. So if you think you can get over the slimy texture and you like stinky cheese, this may be the stuff for you!
I have never found textures an issue for me but the taste was definitely an acquired one. I feel like if I eat Natto more I will get used to it and I think it will grow on me. So have challenged myself to eat more Natto in the hopes of educating my taste buds! After all isn't it better to try to like everything? Surely that way your life will be more pleasant, even though you may find it harder making a choice at restaurants!

We then headed back home, it was already the morning of 27th so it was probably about time to get some shuteye anyway!

Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts in the comments!

That's all for now!