How do you spend Halloween?
October 26, 16:53
Halloween is coming soon, how are you going to spend it?
This year's Halloween is likely to look different than usual, as we need to avoid the “three cs” in the corona wreck.
You may not be able to see people asking for sweets while saying "trick or treat", but there is a growing movement to enjoy ghosts and pumpkins in new ways.
(Good morning Japan Director Ryunosuke Umeda)
Last year's Halloween was dense
Looking at the situation on the day of Halloween on October 31st last year, it is in a very "dense" state.
It is customary for a large number of young people in disguise to gather in Shibuya, and the area around the scrambled intersection in front of Shibuya Station was so crowded that it couldn't move.
This will change completely.
On October 22, Mayor Hasebe of Shibuya Ward made an unusual call to "please refrain from coming to Shibuya" in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
When I asked him in Shibuya, he said, "I have no plans yet. I wonder if I should go out too much because I have a corona" and "I'm a little scared of the crowd, so I can't go there easily."
Virtual shibuya
An online event called "Virtual Shibuya Halloween Festival" is calling for participation as Shibuya Ward does not gather in a real way.
It will be held in a space that reproduces the city of Shibuya as it is on the Internet.
An affiliated organization in Shibuya Ward opened "Virtual Shibuya" in May, which can be accessed from a computer or smartphone.
You can control your own alter ego called an avatar to have fun talking with other participants and taking pictures.
From October 26th to 31st, there will be online avatar costume contests, puzzle-solving games, comedian live performances and music festivals.
Shinko Nagata of Shibuya Mirai Design, a general incorporated association, recommends "Stay Virtual" instead of "Stay Home".
Mr. Nagata
"You can enjoy" Virtual Shibuya "from home without coming to Shibuya. It's not difficult because you can easily access it by downloading the app, and it is used by everyone from small children to the elderly. I hope you enjoy Halloween as a "stay virtual". "
Introducing the pumpkin face shield
Infection control is also changing.
A printing company in Niiza City, Saitama Prefecture has developed a Halloween-specific face shield.
There are more than 50 types such as pumpkins and ghosts.
I also tried the pumpkin face shield, but I could wear it over my glasses and didn't feel any discomfort.
This means that orders for printing such as newspaper leaflets and mark sheet type order forms have decreased.
Trial and error trying to develop a new product due to anxiety about the future.
Last year, we introduced a new printer that supports printing on film in order to expand the range of products that can be printed.
It is said that the reason for the birth of the product was that when masks and face shields were running out of stock, other companies in the same industry learned that they were making face shields using film printing.
He came up with the idea of making a cute design and making a face shield for Halloween so that children can wear it and make fun products.
We have received a lot of orders from the school, and we are expecting it as a new way of life.
President Tsugawa
"Paperless orders have been sluggish, and we have been working as a company to create new products ourselves. With the demand for new corona countermeasures, we thought about creating a product that could contribute to the world, and decided to use it as a face shield. I arrived at it. I thought that the face shield was hard or hard, and I thought that it would be possible to take measures against infection with a fun design that can dispel such negative images. "
Capture demand for "House Halloween"
Once you have a pumpkin face shield, you'll want to show it to someone, but this is expected to increase the number of small home parties you enjoy at home.
According to a questionnaire conducted by Rakuten Insight in September (conducted on the Internet for 1000 people aged 20 to 69), 80.6% of Halloween was "no particular plans" and "undecided". ..
On the other hand, 30.4% of the respondents who answered "I have a party at home" increased by more than 10 points from last year (multiple answers).
The company that deals with catering focused on that.
We provide catering services such as social gatherings at work and home parties on a daily basis.
What was served on a platter last Halloween is now individually wrapped.
Furthermore, the service that is currently increasing in use is a service that delivers the same menu to multiple people.
People who have a drinking party online can enjoy together in a remote place.
It seems that companies also use online social gatherings.
Takahiro Watanuki of this company wants to capture the demand for opportunities for non-face-to-face communication.
Mr. Watanuki
"I want to have a party because of the corona, but I can't do it now. I think there will be a certain number of parties like before, but I think that remote and online will grow and increase steadily. Until now, Halloween has been an event that everyone can enjoy face-to-face, but I predict that it will change to an event that you can enjoy face-to-face or without meeting. "
Fun with ingenuity
There are also Halloween accommodation plans where you can enjoy puzzle-solving games on the premises of the hotel, and Kawasaki City's efforts to post videos of disguise and open content online.
According to estimates by the Japan Anniversary Association, the market size for Halloween last year was about 115.5 billion yen.
It is the second largest after Valentine's Day (about 126 billion yen) and Mother's Day (about 120.5 billion yen).
Halloween has become an autumn tradition.
Why don't you enjoy this at home without going out?
Good morning Japan director
Ryunosuke Umeda
After working at the Sendai station, he is currently affiliated from this summer.