Halloween in Hawaii and Japan

Tis’ autumn when the leaves change, the air carries a chill, and the harvest moon is larger than ever in the night sky.   But if you’re a kid the biggest night of autumn is Halloween. For kids in America it means you get to dress up and become Spiderman, Wonder Woman or a Werewolf or Vampire.  You get to stay up late, and when you say “Trick or Treat” adults must give you candy or else! Halloween means visiting the pumpkin patch and taking a pumpkin home to carve out a spooky Jack ‘O Lantern.

In America Halloween isn’t just for kids.  As a matter of fact, Halloween has become the second most celebrated holiday in America behind Christmas. There are Halloween festivities all over America geared toward adults that allow them to dress up in highly elaborate and risque costumes, attend nightclubs, drink monster themed cocktails and party the night away.

While Halloween is an established holiday in the West it has only become popular in Japan in the last 20 years or so.    The concept of Halloween took some time to take hold in Japan because the concept of scary goblins, ghouls, death and the macabre as the focus of a party celebration was hard to grasp in Japan.    It was described by many Japanese as an “extravagant nonsense.”

However, fast forward to today and Halloween has become a very popular holiday with Japanese young adults.  Halloween costumes in Japan can include all the traditional Halloween get ups (ghosts, ghouls, zombies, etc.) but also there are costumes that are so over the top that they could only happen in Japan.  Humans with Godzilla heads with blood oozing out of their nostrils, vampiresses dressed in Sailor Moon attire, zombie samurais or undead geishas. The Halloween parties are primarily focused on adult partygoers and one of the most popular Halloween street parties takes place in Shibuya.   Bars, clubs and other party venues cater to Halloween parties as well. Many of the venues will offer you a reduced admission based on how amazing your costume is. Afterall, Japan is the land of cosplay!

In Hawaii, Halloween is as big a deal as it is on the mainland.  It is very possible your Japanese girlfriend may have never celebrated Halloween before and this will all be new to her.  Even though Halloween has become popular in Japan in the last 20 years it has not become a major holiday.

Much of the traditional Halloween activities will probably be totally new to your Japanese girlfriend.   One thing my wife really enjoyed doing on her first Halloween was handing out candy to trick or treaters who came to our door.  Seeing the little kids in there costumes and their high pitched voices screaming “trick or treat!” definitely carries a high kawaii factor!  In Japan, trick or treating is not a common activity.

For a fun and simple Halloween date take her to a Halloween pumpkin patch or farm.  Many of these places will be decked out in Halloween decorations and some even have Halloween activities like a haunted house, apple bobbing or a haystack ride.   These things may seem corny to you because you grew up with them, but she will most like be fascinated by it all.

Be sure to have her choose a pumpkin to take home to carve into a Jack O’ Lantern.  She will be familiar with what a Jack O’ Lantern looks like but most likely she’s never carved a pumpkin and made one before.  She will really enjoy the experience and after you light it up and see the glowing face on your Jack O’ Lantern set it outside and the two of you can admire the candle light glow while waiting for the doorbell to ring to greet the kawaii little monsters asking for tricks or treats.     Have a wonderfully spooky and fun Halloween!

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