in UK foreign nationals had to report police station every time they move their home

In Japan everyone has to report to the city office when they move. This doesn’t seem a lot different.

Consider express yourself in Japanese, if you are speaking to Japanese people, then you will have better understanding about Japanese culture.
Can you say ‘hate’ ‘dislike’ ‘disagree’ in Japanese?

Finger print and tax, in UK foreign nationals had to report police station every time they move their home, paying very expensive tax with no social security.
Had to make long quewe like animal to apply for residence permit outside police station at 7 in the morning.
Not much different, in my view.

I can see there is very sad power relationship between Western countries and Japan behind this.
These ignorant foreign nationals and the Japanese young people don’t notice this, sadly.

Do you do this in London?
No, not this far.
Why?
You know the answer, don’t you!?
Then, don’t do it in other country especially where the people don’t cerebrate it.
Japanese hate these events that bother other people.
There are some people who enjoy watching this event but remember, they just don’t have anything better things to do, that’s all, not because they like Halloween.

I wish armed police or army will watch out for this event very soon.
Remember, UK hooligans were targeted by Belgian police water canon during World cup football a few years back – good job.
Catch them and send them back to their own nest.

JR did have some party train long time ago for just that purpose. Do whatever you want on that, not a public one.

This event doesn’t need to be ended up with a big hammer named “gov’t efforts”.

youd be better off HOME not on this boring island. BETTER BE HOME u HOMMIE

well, you may have one more chance.

i’ve heard some people thinking of gathering at shinjuku station yamanote line platform at 21:00 tomorrow 10/31 night and then moving to shibuya and take a bus for Ageha, tokyo’s biggest club, where entrance free with costume.

I was there today and NOBODY came! Only 5 foreigners were there! Where were all of you tonight?!

I was at platform number 15 of Shinjuku Station, which is Yamanote Line train bound for Ikebukoro.

And I’ve never seen SO MUCH policeman in Japan in my life!! Looks like they were EVERYWHERE!!!

But what da fuck?! Where were all the people in costumes?!

I hate you.
I do hope my boyfriend can come home thru Shinjuku safely tonight.

I hate you.
You don’t have any right to disturb our little happiness to spend
nice weekend in our homeland.

I hate you.
You were guests,
but after this incidents we don’t recognize you as guests.

As long as nobody breaks the law (i.e. drops their pants or damages property)

If it’s just a dozen or so people in costume in a train, I wouldn’t give a damn. Drinking isn’t much of a problem either, though it would be considerate to refrain as much as possible. More to do with manners than any law.

So here’s the things I have an issue with:

1) Using a major commuting venue for partying. That’s not what it was intended for and it’s just plain inconderate, rude, and annoying in itself. You cite examples of salarymen but are they holding the party ON the train, or are they just using it as a mode of transportation?
2) I’ve seen the videos of people breaking things in the train. That’s destruction of property in case you didn’t know.
3) The intimidation factor of just the presence of a huge crowd of costumed foreigners packed into a train. You don’t have to talk to people directly to be intimidating. As open as Japan has become in the recent years, it’s not yet THAT enlightened yet, and I’m not even sure if that’s the issue anyways, as I’ve written below.
4) The whole “we’re-just-having-fun-what’s-wrong-with-you” attitude these attendees have, oblivious to how others perceive them is just … grating to me. Nobody is obligated to enjoy or accept your disruptive behavior, just because you yourself are having fun.

Maybe it’s just a cultural difference of what the perception of “acceptable behavior” in a public space is between a Japanese crowd and more a western bunch. I often notice that the most loudest people talking amongst each other on trains are foreigners for some reason. Although Japanese myself, I was born in North America and lived there for more than 20 years so it’s not just the “unfamiliar language” thing.
But in any case, it’s my opinion that a large rowdy group partying on a train in costume is pretty much stepping over the bounds of what acceptable behavior is in Japanese society.

I don’t want to get too much into this discussion and I’m not saying which is better, but I feel Western (American) society is more of the common value that as long people don’t explicitly infringe on my basic rights, then one should accept whatever people do and that is what freedom is, whereas Japanese society one is expected (to a greater level) to present yourself in the most pleasant manner in public and people will do likewise, making it most enjoyable for all parties.

So, it’s not really the legality issue that I have a problem with (even though people like to jump on that saying this party is not illegal), but just the bad manners and the overall abuse of the system which has lax rules based on the assumption that people would act sensibly by themselves without being told so explicitly.

The reason it’s done on the Yamanote is quite simple – it’s a circular line that generally doesn’t stop. No one is going to party on a line that goes out to BFE. It’s a bit of mischief that is in keeping with both the Halloween spirit and the Japanese matsuri spirit hence why many Japanese join every year.

My dear helicat what do you know about past examples? Have you been to any of these events? What illegal activities have been committed?

*Drinking is NOT illegal in public nor on trains.
*Riding a train in costume is NOT illegal as cosplay people do it to and from Akihabara and Harajuku.
*Gatherings are NOT illegal in that you often have groups of inebriated salarymen crowded together after a nightly drinking session.

I’ve been to three events and never have I seen any harrasment of other passengers – we just left them alone or shared our alcohol and snacks thereby often swelling our ranks. I’ve never seen any vomit which I cannot say for any given Friday/Saturday night. We even cleaned up afterwards though there wasn’t much to clean up since most people just brought one or two drinks which most them deposited in the recycle bins on exiting.

Many of the naysayers are stay-at-homes who are just overimagining the “horrors” of a rather tame event and feeling that unnecessary embarrassment that somewhere at sometime some foriegner is doing something that will make the naysayer look bad in connection.

Again it would be best if you just didn’t worry about it.

Let’s have a respectful gathering, and refrain from engaging in any illegal activities. That is all the Authorities ask, and it is not unreasonable.

I wouldn’t have as big of a problem as I do now if that were the case. I’d still be mildly annoyed, but that would be it.
But history has shown time and again, that’s not the case, and it’s not reasonable to assume the same thing will happen again based on past examples when there’s no evidence that measures have been taken by the organizers to prevent illegal activities in the future.

About this, if there was a bosozoku gang(biker gang) of more than 50 members hanging inside a train cart partying, they’d be alright to be loud, disturb other people around them? Fuck they could be stealing your stuff for their fun and none would stop them since they’re all having fun.

There’s a place and time for everything this isn’t part of them. Parties can me made in clubs for such times.

The Japan Railways Group consists of private companies that have the right to refuse you service. If you don’t abide by their rules, they have the right to ask you to leave. If you refuse to leave, they have the right to request police intervention.

There is nothing wrong with a group of commuters meeting and riding together, but I’m sure they have rules against organized events convening on trains. You are paying them for a transportation service, not a venue. And there is enough evidence already to prove that this is an organized event. For one, your posts here.

If there are any signs, they are most likely the product of racists 2chers. There is no legal grounds for arresting foreigners in a train station. Trust me, that would be the last thing Japan wants in the international headlines, “10 Canadians Arrested for wearing a Halloween Costume in Japan.”

I don’t thinks so…

Nice try though.

Everybody will enjoy themselves in a respectful and responsible manner this year, and the polemicists will have to find some other event to focus on.

Note, most of the people who are expressing their discontent over this event are not people who would actually be riding the train at the time of the Yamanote Halloween ride. They are just angry individuals who have found a place to voice their narrow views.

The majority of Japanese people do not shared their twisted views on foreigners.

Let’s have a respectful gathering, and refrain from engaging in any illegal activities. That is all the Authorities ask, and it is not unreasonable.

See you on the train.

My advice – if you don’t like the event, don’t get yourself worked up about it. It’s been going on for years and it will continue to go on for years with or without your support so go do something more constructive with your time like walk your imaginary dog or masterbate to hentai.

Is there any reasons that u guys have to do that in train?

Halloween is not Japanese culture.

and train is a public transportation system.

Plz do it in your house. Don’t be assholes.

THe truth is that yamanote halloween is something that the police cannot do anything about. And the reason is that everyone who is in the trains HAS PAYED their tickets, which makes them normal CUSTOMERS!!!

THe fact that you are dressed up like a mummy or super-man or whatever doesn’t make it a crime or something to be punished. How about the HARAJUKU girls dressing awkwardly on a sunda afternoon inside the train? Crime?

People drinking inside the train, although it is frowned upon, it does not cosntitute a crime either. Otherwise the police has to arrest all the drunk salary man who drink inside the carriage. I have seen many doing that!

You may say, talking out loud disturbs other people… It is true… Including the high-schoolers who talk loud inside trains during the day time. And they are also in groups of 5 or 6. The difference is that we, halloween foreigners, are in a big number.

People doing crazy things inside the carriage like breaking things, climbing up to the baggage rest and etc… Yes, these ones are JERKS and should be arrested.

The Halloween ride on the Yamanote line is possibly the most enjoyable part of the Halloween experience in Japan, and anyone looking to have some fun THIS Saturday, Oct. 25, join us at Shinjuku station for a ride on the 9pm train.

This is an event for both foreigners and Japanese people who are looking to have some Halloween fun. To add a little holiday spirit, most people wear some sort of a costume. This is a tradition that has been going on for years!

After the train ride, we will be attending a party at a club in Ikebukuro. Yes, there will be various parties at many different clubs in the Tokyo area this Saturday. You are free to join any of them you prefer. The Yamanote line is a circle, and we will be riding it from Shinjuku to Ikebukuro (the long way). If you would like to get off at any stop along the way, it is your choice.

We do not yet have the details for the party in Ikebukuro, this will likely be something that we hand out flyers for on the train.

I hope this clears up any of the confusion. See you on Saturday!

Being inconsiderate is not illegal.

You’ve pretty much expressed the most immature stance on the issue, and it’s the stance that most of the attendees take, which is the problem.

Don’t let all the negative talk get you down. We will have just as much fun this year as we did last year… and the year before that. After all, fun is what Halloween is all about!

9pm Shinjuku station
Yamanote line

Cheers!

The people who participate in this event intentionally hijack the train as a large group

That’s funny because in the videos I have seen on YouTube there are usually some Japanese people in the background who are not connected to the party. There is no hijacking going on; do they force people on or off the train ? No. Do they force the driver to change where he stops ? No. If these things did happen then JR and the police would have shut this event down long ago.

If it was such a big outrage as you describe then JR would simply put up a big sign saying “NO HALLOWEEN PARTIES” and employ a few extra security people to stop anyone in fancy dress getting on a train.

Can you find us one event similar to this that Japanese as foreign guests in another country have held?

That’s totally irrelevant. If it’s legal you can do it. In any country. If a group of Japanese people want to have a Tanabata train party on the Paris Metro I can’t see a problem with that as long as it’s legel.

Being inconsiderate is not illegal.

I dispute your use of the phrase “foreign guests”. Most of those people are not tourists, if you pay taxes then you should have more rights than a mere visitor passing by. Just like I might pay an entry fee at a bar you can’t deny me my right to enjoy myself.

I realise that as a foreigner I don’t have the right to stay in Japan, I have permission. But even using your classification, you can’t expect guests to sit down in the corner quietly and pretend not to exist.

Second, as I said prior I think that the majority of the people on this train aren’t really worse than what I’ve seen on the trains any other weekend, but there were a handful that I would say were out of hand or crossed the line, and these are the people that sour the whole thing. Take them out of the equation and I don’t really think the party is that bad of an idea.

As for not liking drunks, I myself go out and drink, so usually whenever I’m seeing people going beyond their means I’m at least buzzed myself, so I just roll my eyes and turn up the ipod, sometimes giving a slight snicker. As long as they don’t puke ON me or something then live and let live since one day down the line I might be the one that needs a little forgiveness.

Oh, and I agree with you that the 2ch-ers go rather overboard with their reactions on pretty much anyone, but I would be interested to see how if at all it would change their reaction if it were, say a “Yankee” crowd instead of a largely foreign crowd.

“Well, Japanese get drunk on trains, too”.
“What about these drunken salary man??”
“He is doing it too!!”

The last one is a common excuse often used by a 6 year old.
But then again, maybe that’s what these supporters are.

I’ve seen drink-related train delays before, put up with overly vocal drunken salarymen on trains, dodged puke puddles and overdrinkers passed out on platforms and these are all Japanese people.

From your tone, I think I can safely assume that you find drunks to be at least an unfavorable presence on public transportation, Japanese or not.
…if that’s the case, why the hell are you endorsing not one or two — but a whole trainload of people to take part in the act??
“I find drunks to be troublesome but since everyone else does it, it’s okay for me to do so as well!” doesn’t sound in the least bit cogent to me.

Like I said, take out the violent people breaking stuff and stripping, and you pretty much have any other Saturday night on the train, just with costumes.

Well if that WERE the case, I guess I wouldn’t care as much. But that hasn’t been the true in the past, eh?

…and this is a personal observation, but the 2ch crowd are the self-righteous bunch who typically call for draconian measures against “undesirables” like belligerent public drunks in any case.

The problem isn’t limited to foreigners. ヤンキー do the same idiotic stuff, but in smaller groups. This yamanote event is as annoying as a bunch of bleach-punch-permed 17-year-olds with their modified-muffler crotch-rockets disturbing the peace at 4 a.m. They’re inconsiderate, and this event is to the same degree. They can’t or won’t acknowledge anything outside of their own narrow little world, and they take “freedom” to mean “the right to be an ass”. I think Oliver Holmes said it best with, “The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.”

Can you find us one event similar to this that Japanese as foreign guests in another country have held? I’m not claiming that there haven’t been any, but I can’t seem to locate any information on them.

People partying outside and drinking alcohol does happen in other countries. It is possible to drink alcohol sensibly, have a good time and stop before losing control. If you want to point at people drinking too much alcohol in Japan then nationality is not an issue, you can find plenty of drunken Japanese people.

Talk about overreaction, some people talk about mayhem and violence – someone please post links to evidence of this behaviour. There are numerous videos of this party from previous years on YouTube but I’ve never seen one with violence. If you call a large crowd of people on a train “mayhem” then you can find “mayhem” on most central Tokyo lines on any weekend evening.

And for what it’s worth; Japan is bigger than Tokyo and the Yamanote line. Most Japanese people have not heard of this halloween party and will not be judging foreigners by it.

That being said, they are being real..stupid heads.

And to those that say we should ban public drinking, or ban this or that because of a handful of unruly foreigners, I say that I’ve had to wait while the station guys cleaned up the spew stains *off a seat cushion* on the Toyoko line on last train and passed not one but *two* salarymen puking in different parts of the same platform at another station before.

Japanese people love to get belligerent as much as if not more than most foreigners here and probably wouldn’t react well to any curtailing on their drinking habits, whether public or otherwise… which is another reason I find it so odd that the 2ch-ers in particular are so vocal about this.

I’ve seen drink-related train delays before, put up with overly vocal drunken salarymen on trains, dodged puke puddles and overdrinkers passed out on platforms and these are all Japanese people. If you want to say that people drink to much in general, or that public drinking is bad then ok, but be consistent – if they can be stupid drunk 365 days of the year, then 1 hour on 1 day on 1 train, regardless of what line it is, doesn’t really stand out to me.

Like I said, take out the violent people breaking stuff and stripping, and you pretty much have any other Saturday night on the train, just with costumes. Give blame where blame is due.

Japanese Sake is one Hellava Drink!!

Any fellow Probers care to sign-up for a Tokyo bus party? Hopefully it will be more civilized than the Yamanote-Yahooligans.

Brilliant! I suggest you look up “Relative Privation” sometime later.