Halloween in Tokyo

I've never been a big fan of Halloween in Singapore, sometimes it just feels like an excuse to be slutty. And if you ever visited a costume store, slutty costumes (consisting of some bits of cloth sewed together) cost more than proper costumes and props, that say a lot about the demand no? Haha.

 

Previously I spent Halloween in Bangkok before on Khao San Road, that was an experience. *flashback*

In Tokyo though, Halloween lasts for like literally a month. I think once October hits, people start dressing up and storefronts get decorated (but turnover time is damn fast, on 1 November 8am the storefronts were already in Christmas mode).

 

It was a really fun experience to spend Halloween week in Tokyo. On my first day I walked into a Halloween parade on Omotesando, like literally walked into it. Pardon the photo quality my camera died on me :( so these were taken on my iPhone.

My friends brought me to Don Quijote (commonly known as "Donki" ドン・キホーテ) in Shibuya, a huge-ass discount store which sells costumes and everything else under the sun (you can liken it to a cooler version of Mustafa). So we went crazy buying funny hats, as the office was also having a Halloween lunch on the Halloween itself. I also found myself in One-sie heaven, finally I have a One-sie, shall debut it at BAM!! Muahahaha.

It was a riot in the office.

 

Autumn Festivities at Meiji Jingu Shrine

Situated at Harajuku Station, Shibuya-ku, the Meiji Shrine ((明治神宮) is dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. When I first found out I had this visual image in my mind of 2 royal ghosts floating around the greenery. But all freaky things aside, it is an expansive park with scenic fixtures and plants, and the grounds for many traditional ceremonies and festivals.

 

I visited on a Sunday, totally spontaneous and random, having no clue that it was the start of the autumn festivities. I was literally spinning round and round trying to capture all sorts of scenes on my camera. There were chrysanthemums in full bloom, little children in traditional Japanese outfits, saw at least 4 weddings, musical and dance performances...omg blown away.

 

Turns out it was the day of the Shichi Go San Festival (3-5-7 Festival), an annual festival to celebrate the health and longevity of all boys (turning 3 and 7 that year) and girls (turning 5 and 7 that year). The place was teeming with them, how cute!

 

こんにちは!

The streets of Tokyo, for some reason, are filled with such energy and vibe that you feel you are missing out on every second you stay snuggled in the warmth of your hotel room. Tokyo, last week was my first, but definitely not my last.

 

 

 

Visually Tokyo makes me dizzy. The juxtaposition of old and new, of laughter and lights, of colours and noise. Exciting yet tiring, inspiring and never disappointing.