Few in Halloween costumes seen in Shibuya amid pandemic

Few people in costumes are seen on the iconic Shibuya scramble intersection in Tokyo at 9:58 p.m. on Saturday. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Few people in costumes were seen in the area around Tokyo's Shibuya Station on Halloween night on Saturday, apparently heeding the call from local authorities to refrain from carousing there amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

In recent years, the iconic Shibuya scramble intersection has been packed on Oct. 31 with young people dressed in costumes to enjoy Halloween. This year, however, the Shibuya Ward office urged the public to refrain from coming to Shibuya for the autumn event to prevent the spread of the virus.

Signboards and banners saying, "Home Halloween" were set up around the intersection, and from around 6 p.m., security guards with megaphones called for passersby not to stop in the street. Many pedestrians passed through without mingling.

Many in costumes in the same place at 9:58 p.m. on Oct. 31 last year (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

"It appears there won't be any trouble as there are fewer people this year," said an employee at a shoe store in Shibuya's Center shopping street.

Meanwhile, a 32-year-old male employee from Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, who came dressed up as a movie character, said, "I'll have fun without causing any trouble."

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