Today, as Americans ready their pumpkin buckets for a night of trick-or-treating, the residents of Tokyo have already gotten the celebration underway. Last Tuesday the capital held the 23rd annual Kawasaki Parade, in which thousands of costumed attendees descend upon the city for the country’s biggest Halloween event.
Shanghai-based photographer Yubula spent the day capturing the magic firsthand. There were a trio of pastel-haired anime characters, who cheered from the sidelines with a set of oversized features and metallic corset-style frocks. Pennywise, the terrifying red-haired clown from It (and the most googled Halloween costume of 2019), lurked in the shadows: “He hid behind a car and did his makeup,” explained Yubula, making for an unintentional—but perfect—creepy moment.
A furry antlered creature rode atop a float while a one-eyed ghost sauntered the streets with his bloodied pal, clad in a magenta wig. Elsewhere a rubber-masked Donald Trump went as Vladimir Putin’s date, and a couple dressed as a set of Japanese fairy-tale characters, wearing head-to-toe robes inlaid with real yellow, pink, and white daisies.
And what would All Hallow’s Eve be without a few papier-mâché heads as accessories? One parade-goer pushed a duet of free-standing heads (complete with lashes and lip gloss) past the Kawasaki train station. No matter the scale of your Halloween plans, let this display of creativity inspire your night.
Produced by Shanshan