All About Japan

Tokyo Aims for the World's Cleanest Halloween

J-Pop Halloween Tokyo Greater Tokyo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT-nYh1_Q5o

The city of Tokyo seems to have decided to react in full force to the mountains of garbage left behind in Shibuya in the aftermath of Halloween 2014. Rather than unleash a squad of Dementors to enforce gomi (garbage) manners on the night of October 31, however, the city has pulled out an even bigger gun: a delightfully passive-aggressive campaign of cuteness supported by Japan's top emissary of weird, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

In this ad for the "Let's Gomi Zero" campaign, the Tokyo native advises Halloween partygoers to bring back everything that goes out with them, and leave the city even cleaner than they found it. With Kyary's own Halloween-themed "Crazy Party Night" filling in the background, she declares, "Let's aim for the cleanest Halloween in the world!"

To make this goal a reality, the city of Tokyo will be distributing big, jack-o'-lantern-shaped garbage bags at set times in four locations across the city on October 31, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Roppongi and from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. in Shinjuku, Shibuya and Akihabara. An extra Dogenzaka distribution point will be added from noon to 8 p.m. as well, with each distribution point also serving as a drop-off spot.

What happens after hours is anybody's guess, but the campaign is being supported by the Green Bird city clean-up group, which is looking for volunteers to help the effort over the weekend—which they do in the fully costumed spirit of Halloween.

You can check the Halloween & Tokyo site for more information on the campaign (in Japanese), and scroll to the bottom of the page for a list of other special Halloween events where the bags will also be distributed.

Given the size and scope of this campaign—and the legitimately huge name drawn in as spokesperson—it seems that Halloween has fully stepped out from the underground to become a full-fledged event on the Tokyo calendar.