Halloween in Nagoya

Sep 27, 2024

Halloween in Nagoya

As the years go by, old heads in the various foreign communities have noticed something: Halloween only seems to get more popular. The Japanese public has a more general awareness of the event and it has begun nicely occupying the general public’s mind in that open spot after Silver Week but before the year’s end parties (忘年会 – bounenkai) and Christmas/New Year’s season envelopes the country.

Of course, major retailers, shopping districts, amusement parks, and others of Nagoya are all more than happy to accept your participation and hard-earned yen on various events. Halloween will most definitely keep those with children more than busy, but there will also be themed parties hosted downtown for those looking for a fun night out.

Keep in mind that it is not tradition in Japan to go door to door, knocking on homes and receiving candy as a result. However, fear not if you have little ones who were looking forward to getting a small mountain of sugared treats. There are still plenty of ways to get your sugar rush.

For Those with Kids

Halloween can easily be one of the more chaotic holidays when children are involved. Getting costumes, arguing over costumes, choosing events, arguing over costumes, arranging a neat schedule for the week of Halloween, and arguing over costumes are all important yet messy parts of the experience.

The renowned downtown sports bar, Shooters, will be bringing back their popular Halloween buffet this year on October 27th. The event will feature music, games and a costume contest, so kids of all ages will be able to have fun. Please make sure to complete your reservation by October 25th to guarantee a seat.

The 5th Annual Nagoya Halloween Rally will take place on October 26th and 27th. You will need to use browser or camera translation to help navigate the site, but it is packed full of information regarding the event. Please note that you would need to sign up for this event as well.

Lastly, LEGOLAND is back with its Brick or Treat event. Expect a full day at the park with a variety of activities with that familiar Legoland sheen to them. The website unfortunately seems to only have information in Japanese at the moment, so please use browser or camera translations to get a gist of the various events and activities the park is putting on.

There are other smaller events for children, but it will require some Google-fu. Keep an eye out for places like shopping malls or large parks, but be prepared to use browser or camera translations.

For Those About to Rock

For adults that want to hit up the town at night, Nagoya will be mostly limited to the downtown clubs hosting your standard costume contests and the like. Again, keep an eye out closer to October 31st and start your Google searches a little closer to around October 10th or so. While Halloween is increasing in popularity, it is not quite at the level where events are announced well in advance.

Our Kansai writer, Justin Hanus, has provided a great list of resources that will apply to anyone in Nagoya looking to buy a costume. Be sure to check out that article after finishing this one.

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While Halloween itself is not quite at the level of western countries, there is plenty to still enjoy for Nagoya residents. Keep an eye out as the date creeps closer and be prepared to have to do reservations for a lot of the events – When in Rome as they would say.

Bonguri via Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0