2023-10-06 22:11:00
The controlled chaos of Shibuya’s famous intersection is seen by many as the epitome of traffic efficiency in a country known for its order and technology.
Ten lanes of traffic and five major overpasses surrounded by buildings and neon lights make up the colorful backdrop that usually appears in visitors’ photos of Tokyo.
But just as New York’s Times Square is the center of New Year’s events, Shibuya serves as the core of the Halloween celebration.
Huge crowds of young people gather on Halloween in Shibuya – Photo: Shutterstock
However, unlike the authorities of the “Big Apple” who advertise and promote the New Year’s celebrations, the local authorities of Shibuya try to prevent the “carnival”.
And that’s because they want the world’s busiest intersection to remain safe.
“The damage caused by hypertourism has become severe. It results in destruction of buildings by drunken people on the streets, clashes with local residents and pollution with a large volume of empty bottles and cans,” said a statement from the municipality of Shibuya, an autonomous region of Tokyo, officially appealing to local and foreign visitors to beware of the their behavior and appear in the specific area from October 27 to 31, that is, as long as Halloween lasts.
“Also, every year during Halloween, the area around Shibuya Station eit is so overcrowded that it is almost impossible for anyone to move» is added to the announcement.
Ten lanes of car and bus traffic and five huge overpasses make up the impressive scenery of Shibuya – Photo: Shutterstock
In the announcement special mention is made of the tragedy with 156 dead which occurred last year in Seoul’s Itaewon district when a huge crowd of young people celebrating Halloween crowded and trampled a narrow street. As noted, the Tokyo autonomous region has taken measures to prevent such tragic phenomena from happening again.
Something like that, drinking alcohol on the streets around Shibuya is prohibited between 18:00 in the evening and 5:00 in the morning for these five days before and during this huge urban party. In addition, on these same days the shops in the area will not sell alcohol, while there will be an increased police presence.
“The streets of Shibuya are no place to party,” says Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe.
The super popular intersection
That this intersection is constantly from full to overcrowded, with an average of 3,000 pedestrians every time the traffic light “turns red” for vehicle traffic, it’s not just random.
It is located right in front of the exit of the Shibuya railway line, which adorns the statue of the legendary dog Hachiko, and connects the also popular areas of Shinjuku, Harajuku and Ropogi.
Such is its touristic value that it is almost impossible for the foreign visitor to bypass it as a destination.
Action movie fans have admired it as a setting in the Tokyo Driftthe third sequel to The Fast and the Furious, while fans of Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson will remember the crossing filled with a “sea” of umbrellas in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation.
Source: CNN
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