What’s Weird about Japanese Halloween
TOKYO — In Japan, data show women prefer vampires and men prefer witches―at least on Halloween. But judging by the huge numbers of women in sexy nurse uniforms and the dearth of male vampires we see around this time of year in Tokyo, apparently the two sides haven’t figures this out. No wonder the population is shrinking. If the government would only play cupid, toss in some Abenomics, eye of newt, and weird sisters into the mix, Halloween in Japan could possibly be the new Valentine’s Day―and in terms of spending it’s coming close.
According to the Japan Anniversary Association, the market size of Halloween this year is estimated to be over a billion dollars (122 billion yen) coming very close to Valentine’s Day, which is 125 billion yen. Of course, Japan celebrates Halloween differently from the United States, just as it does Valentine’s Day or Christmas.
On Valentine’s Day in Japan, women give chocolates and gifts to the men. On White Day (not yet available in the U.S.), men give white chocolate and gifts back to the women. Christmas celebrations in Japan often includes young couples checking into fancy love hotels―where rooms can be rented for two-hour shifts or longer―on Christmas Eve. That may not be our way of celebrating Christmas but it can certainly be enjoyable.