Halloween is No Longer Halloween in Japan

Halloween is Halloween wherever you go - no, not quite in Japan. The good old Western feast of All Hallows' Day has transfigured itself in the land of Rising Sun.

Yes, Halloween is a 122 billion yen market in Japan today. It's way up there in commercial value as compared with St. Valentine and is regarded worldwide as Japan's own annual event.

According to the Japan Anniversary Association, the Halloween market in 2015 is estimated to aggregate by 11% over the previous year to 122 billion yen, doubling in four years' time from 56 billion in 2011.

October 31 falling on a Saturday this year, the occasion will be extra jovial, estimates the association. In Shibuya, Roppongi and other towns where youngsters flock, cosplaying and fancy dress parties will paint the town red.

So, Halloween has now grown into a gigantic feat worth 1,000 yen per capita of the country of 127 million. It's no longer a religious ritual or kinds' event; it's a unique event engineered by youngsters, families and regional bodies involving all peripheral industries as far as eating joints.

Varieties of Halloween goods from Japan are selling well abroad, says the association, via SNS and other channels, so popular that foreigners come all the way to Japan just to buy them firsthand.

Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting dates Japanese Halloween back to 1997 of  the Disney Halloween. The Japan Anniversary Association also agrees that the Disney event started the trend leading to the late tradition of parading in costumes.

Speaking of costumes, the movie film "Frozen" was responsible for last year's all-blue costumes and now films like "Ted", "Star Wars", "Attack on Titan" and "Cinderella" will likely lead the color trend this year.

So, that's it. As many other cultures landed in Japan to transfigure, Halloween is not quite the one you have grown up within your country.