Wild drunks in Shibuya on New Year’s Eve
Both ATV and FTV aired news reports this week about the drunken chaos that took place at Shibuya Crossing on New Year’s Eve. Despite the fact that there is no countdown event, young people nonetheless gathered in the area around midnight, drinking alcohol and making noise. Dozens of police officers were required to keep people from obstructing traffic.
First, let’s look at ATV’s report:
The young people are shown engaging in some wild behavior. The police seem to stay calm and keep things somewhat under control. One person did seem to be injured and received first aid at a police box. Hours later, we see that some drunk people are passed out on the street.
FTV’s report was a bit more sensational:
It starts with some footage of the wacky people who have turned out to celebrate the new year: break dancing weirdos, a group wearing tiger masks, and a man “rapping” about the soba at his restaurant.
As midnight approaches, the pleasant mood changes to one of tension. Police prepare barricades and the big screen on a building overlooking Shibuya crossing is turned off early to discourage people from thinking there will be a countdown event. When clocks hit 0:00 and people begin celebrating, the wildness begins.
The a great “panic” fills the area around the station as it becomes too crowded for people to move. Police officers try to push people so they stay within the barriers. One cop is knocked over by the crowd. Broken glass bottles litter the street. There are also several people who have passed out from drinking too much. There was also some fighting.
It is noted that this event seems to be popular among foreigners. A few are more than happy to drink and dance in front of the news cameras. For some reason, one group of Japanese and foreigners was singing the “Ponyo” theme song. At least one foreigner joined a group of young Japanese who were climbing street poles.
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