Trick or Treat or New Cultural Practice

A Japanese friend once told me what he “kind of” misses about America, where he spent a year studying: the homes (couches and fireplaces, more specifically) and also the holidays. While Japan is rich in seasonal or religious festivals, the amount and ways of holiday celebration trails behind America, at least in the commercial market and also seemingly in spirit. Granted, the “spirit” of American holidays may be exaggerated by the commercial market, but there is often some hype around a certain holiday almost every month.

In Japan, the celebration of Halloween manifests itself in very few places outside of Tokyo Disneyland—where it is said to have started just two decades ago—and Kansai Gaidai. With the encouragement of Westerners and alcohol, however, some Japanese are willing to partake in costume wearing and candy consumption.

A restaurant called "The Lock-Up" in Shiji has adopted some familiar American Halloween customs for the special night: ghouly masks set up on shelves, blacklights, animal costumes, people banging on walls and screaming, and pop reggae playing overhead (well...). It is interesting to think about the transfer of such traditions from one culture to another. If Disneyland can play such a large role in bringing (at least) the material aspects of a major holiday to a different nation, that proves that there are definitely "sell-able" parts of culture. Halloween in America is hardly tied to the Christian religion anymore, but what Japan took of it is even more generic, the scrapings off the top. Maybe I'm making this a bigger issue than I should, but it's fascinating to witness how cultures influence each other in such small ways outside of economy, religion, gender roles, family structure, etc. You physically see it on the bodies of the people: