Tokyo’s Shibuya district raises alarm against unruly Halloween, even caging landmark statue

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Ahead of this year’s Halloween weekend, Tokyo’s busy shopping, business and entertainment district of Shibuya is trying hard to shoo away visitors. Banners across town say no drinking and no Halloween events on the street, and town officials are cordoning off their landmark statue of faithful dog Hachi behind protective walls. “Shibuya streets are not party venues for Halloween,” Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press. About 40,000 people gathered in the area in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The number has decreased during the pandemic, but city authorities fear this year’s turnout could be worse.