Halloween in Japan

Over the past ten years, Japan has shown more interest in Halloween, with all the scenery, visuals and costumes that you'll see in the video below.

Trick or treating isn't big in Japan, but the appeal of Halloween in Japan is the fun and costumes, so the holiday ends up being mostly for adults who want to dress-up. Costume parties become a focus for many establishments or in private homes.

Halloween Activities in Japan 

Halloween celebrations are often held in September and October. Tokyo, Osaka, and Kanagawa are the most popular destinations for costumed fun, but more cities across the country are embracing the holiday each year.

Events usually take place in shopping malls and amusement parks and include street parties, parades, flash mobs, zombie runs, and costume parties at bars. However, the Japanese celebrate their spooky season in August, which is when they usually enjoy telling ghost stories and visiting haunted attractions.

Theme parks around Japan bring in some of the biggest crowds for Halloween thanks to their many diverse events:

• Tokyo Disneyland: Events include a massive parade with more than 100 floats and performers, haunted attractions and performances, and dance parties with ghosts and goblins. At sundown, the parks' many characters transform into ghostly versions of themselves to haunt the streets.
• Universal Studios Japan: Halloween Horror Nights features haunted houses and other scary activities, including a special holiday-themed movie ride. Like at Disneyland, characters at Universal will transform at sundown.
• Shibuya Hikarie Retail Complex: The International Costume Contest invites guests to compete in a variety of categories including scariest costume and best cosplay. 

• Sanrio Puroland: The costumed characters at this indoor theme park known for its Hello Kitty-themed area will transform into spooky ghosts and goblins at night. You can also expect to find themed parties and celebrations throughout the month.

Jesus in Japan, Who Knew?

There seems to be an effort to rebrand or reintroduce Jesus these days, we thought we would help out, introducing another narrative found in Japan.

Ok, the story goes like this: in a small village, called Shingo in the north of Japan is where Jesus Christ lived and eventually died, leaving behind his descendants.

According to the story, Jesus travelled to Japan at the age of 21 to study theology, spent 12 years in the country during a period that's not written about in the New Testament.

After returning to Jerusalem, and getting into trouble with the Romans, he somehow convinced his younger brother Isukiri to face the trial and crucifixion. 

As Jesus skips town, no one notices it’s a different person and his younger brother dies on the cross instead. 

Jesus then fled back to Japan, which involved a four year journey spanning 6,000 miles.

He became known as Daitenku Taro Jurai to locals, and lived in Shingo in exile, growing garlic.

Jesus fell in love with a farmer's daughter called Miyuko, and they married and had three children.

He is believed to have died in the village at the age of 106.

Shinto

Shinto literally means “the way of the gods” and it is Japan’s native belief system.  Shinto is a nature-based religion and for the most part, it’s ancient spiritual reverence for nature has not diminished among the population.  

Shinto has remained an important piece of cultural heart of Japan.

The many practices, attitudes, and institutions that have developed to make up Shinto revolve around the Japanese land and seasons and their relation with the human inhabitants.

The traditional religion of Japan, nearly 80% of the country’s population take part in Shinto practices or rituals. Shinto is Japan’s major religion alongside Buddhism and the country is home to over 80,000 Shinto shrines.

So what is Shinto?

What are the beliefs and rituals?

Shinto is deeply rooted in the Japanese people and their cultural activities. 

Unlike many religions, Shinto does not have a founder nor does it honor a single god. There is also no sacred book such as the Bible or holy place to pray to.

Shinto believes in the kami, a divine power that can be found in all things. 

Shinto believes in many gods and animistic since it regards animals and natural objects as deities.

It’s safe to say that Shinto is less like a religion and more like a way of life or way of looking at the world.

Shinto involves the worship of kami. 

Kami can take the form of animals or natural objects such plants, mountains, or rivers. 

They are said to be responsive of human energy and have the ability to influence the course of natural forces.

Once a human dies, they are said to become a kami themselves and are memorialized by their living descendants. 

Not all Kami are thought to be good, however, and the goal is to ward off evil kami.

Both men and women are allowed to become priests and they may choose to marry and have a family as well.

Today Shinto is one of the most widely practiced religions in Japan. Nearly every aspect of Japanese culture is influenced by Shinto beliefs whether its politics, ethics, the arts, sports, or spirituality.

So… is Shinto Pagan?  

In the sense that it is a nature-based religion consisting of multiple deities, the easy answer would be yes.

Because Shinto is a nature based religion and not Christian, in that way, it’s much like Paganism.

But most likely, Shinto practitioners would like their religion to be viewed as their own belief, not necessarily part of wider pagan movement. 

Japan’s first-ever Tarot Card Museum in Tokyo

Tarot cards are becoming popular in Japan and that popularity brings us to the brand new Tokyo Tarot Museum that just opened in Tokyo’s Taito Ward. 

Run by Nichiyu, the first Japanese company to sell tarot cards in Japan, it’s the first-ever tarot museum in Japan.

Nichiyu has been importing tarot cards to Japan since 1974 and has continuously been a major part of the industry ever since. 

For the last 20 years, they’ve hosted regular exhibition and sale fairs at bookstores all across the country, but in order to give people even more access and opportunities to explore tarot cars they decided to open a tarot museum.

The Tokyo Tarot Museum focuses on exhibiting rare and unusual tarot cards, which were drawn from Nichiyu’s collection of over 3,000 cards. The museum will also put on a continuous display of 500 out-of-print, hard-to-find cards, which will also be for sale.

The museum plans to host workshops and lectures featuring professionals from the tarot world, tarot reading services, tarot card art exhibits, unveilings of new work by artists, 

The Tokyo Tarot Museum is located in the Yanagibashi neighborhood of Tokyo, which has been known as a fortune teller area since the mid-Edo period, and which was once one of Tokyo’s geisha districts. 

The museum is just a few minutes on foot from either JR Asakusabashi or Tokyo Metro Asakusabashi Station, so it’s easy to find. 

It operates on a reservation-only system, so before you go, make sure you book a slot on their website ahead of time. Entrance costs just 500 yen per person.

Halloween has come to Krispy Kreme, in Japan

October is almost here, and Krispy Kreme is celebrating with Halloween monsters donuts.

Krispy Kreme Japan has already released a “scary-cute” collection of Halloween donuts that we just couldn’t wait to show you.

The Pumpkin Jack Caramel and Black Cat “Choco” donuts, the first two of Krispy Kreme’s 2022 Halloween donuts, are already available, having been released on September 14. The Pumpkin Jack Caramel (313 yen [US$2.20]) is a fan favorite that appears yearly.

Tokyo Art Museum

We believe that all art is the answer to unlocking who we are.

MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUMTeamLab Borderless is a group of artworks that form one borderless world. Artworks move out of the rooms freely, form connections and relationships with people, communicate with other works, influence and sometimes intermingle with each other.

Create new experiences with others, immerse yourself in borderless art, and explore the world with your body.

In a vast complex, three-dimensional 10,000 square meter space, 520 computers and 470 projectors create a completely new world, the likes of which have never been seen before.

McDonald's Halloween Fries - Japan

 

The fast-food chain came up with the "Halloween Choco Potato" to mark its 45th anniversary in Japan,

 where trick or treaters enjoy pumpkin-spiced food and beverages to celebrate the October holiday.

Japan's Peddled Roller Coaster

You really have to check this out.

Pepsi Flavors - Only in Japan

Pepsi Ice Cucumber is simply a blend of artificial flavors with no actual cucumber juice added, but who cares, it's fun.

We love Japan, you can find food and drinks that aren't available anywhere else.

For even more Pepsi fun in Japan Click Here

Here are a few more: