Kansai Halloween Weekend

Spooky Season

Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday. It’s a fun time to be alive every time Halloween rolls around. That being said, I was excited to enjoy my Halloween weekend in the big city. Unfortunately, Halloween falls on a Tuesday this year- however, I knew that I wanted to go out during the weekend when I had a bit more free time to live it up!

Scary Starbucks Orders!

One of the fun things about Halloween is definitely the yummy snacks and treats that you can find all around town. During the Halloween season, you can get all types of delicious food. I’ve noticed that lots of Japanese treats are made with pumpkin, chestnuts, and persimmons during this time of year. So, it was natural that I went out to try something. For the last 6 years, I have ordered the same drink without changing it in the slightest. I’ve become famous at my local Starbucks as the girl who orders a hot grande size chai tea latte with three times the normal amount of chai. I am so blessed that the Starbucks employees know me and my order so well at this point. Least to say, the regular employees were surprised when I came in and asked for their spooky boo drink. They know I like my drink extra sweet so they added in extra chocolate chips too! Big shout out to Momoyi for kindly helping me to craft an order that I would like. Honestly, I thought I would hate it since I’m so picky (Again, same order for the last 6 years without change), but I fell in love with it and how sweet it was as soon as I tried it. I 100% recommend if you like really sweet drinks! The black caramel added to the tasty flavor.

Of course, I had to get a picture of my drink next to my favorite vampire/witch couple, Morgana and Oz!

Kids Event

One thing you can count on each year is that there is going to be some kind of event or special going on somewhere around town. While there are obvious events at places like USJ and Tokyo Disneyland, you can also find local events in your area. More times than not, there are events in local towns and smaller cities throughout Japan, not just in the bigger cities that are very well populated. Many places often hold neighborhood walks where the children are able to dress up and walk around together to trick-or-treat or participate in events. It’s a wonderful way for the community to come together for the kids and create fun opportunities for them to engage and meet each other. This year, some of my students did a Halloween party where they were able to dress up in cute costumes and go around the neighborhood together. Here are some of the pictures of the neighborhood activity! If you have a family and are hoping to go to some sort of neighborhood event, it would be beneficial to check with your area and see what events they have.

Town Events

Aside from the neighborhood events, there are also numerous events throughout town. There might be pop-up areas around your city with small activities for you to try. I recommend paying close attention to the signs around you and seeing what’s available for you to do. You might just find an unexpected fun activity lurking around the corner.

[Translation]

For a limited time, the traditional face panel at JR Temma Station will be made into Halloween style. It has been renewed! Let’s all take a photo and post it on SNS with #TenmaStationHalloween!! Show the screen you posted to the Tenma Station staff and say Trick or Treat and you might get something good…

Not to mention special events around Umeda! While I couldn’t attend any of the events this year, I was a really big fan of the specials that they had throughout October. Next year, I definitely am not going to miss out on the arts and crafts! I passed by the candle making and saw that everyone had such a great time!

Nanba

Halloween isn’t just for the kids as adults dress up and go around town during this time of year. This year was a bit too cold for me to cosplay during nighttime, but I was very impressed with all of the costumes that I saw. As always, Nanba was bustling with numerous people all around. There were so many interesting and cool costumes, it almost made me regret not dressing up. I will say about 90% of people were not dressed up, most likely because they were cold or were waiting until Halloween day. Either way, everyone was extremely festive and in good! (I was especially a fan of the anime cosplays I saw haha.)

For The Girls and Ghouls

All in all, Halloween is a very fun season for anyone and everyone. There’s always something to do during this time of year. Whether it’s for fun or alone, you know that you can have a good time when Halloween rolls around. I really recommend paying attention to your surrounding areas just to find unexpected activities to try out. Whether it be walking around Nanba, arts and crafts, or trying yummy snacks- there’s always SOMETHING to do! Halloween is the perfect time to take advantage of the festivities and try something new. Who knows, if you cosplay and go around town, it can be like your alter ego and give you more courage to try something new and daring!