Shibuya locks down Hachiko statue for Halloween 2023 while Burger King Center Gai shuts its doors

Shibuya City is serious about stopping the Halloween street party this year.

Ever since a group of revellers overturned a truck in Shibuya during Halloween celebrations in 2018, the city has been clamping down on the unofficial street party that’s become known as “the craziest in the world”.

Despite introducing drinking bans in the area, the celebrations have continued to spark unwanted incidents and arrests, and with the fatal disaster that occurred in Itaewon, South Korea, on Halloween last year, where 159 people were killed and 196 people were injured, Shibuya City is taking things even more seriously, clamping down on the celebrations like never before.

This year, in addition to implementing a drinking ban in public spaces from 6p.m. to 5 a.m. on 27-31 October, the city has posted signs around the area and even released a video in Japanese and English, warning the public to “Stay Away! From Shibuya“ this Halloween.

▼ The signs have been placed in prominent areas around Shibuya.

Photo ©SoraNews24

Now, news of even more restrictions has been revealed, with the city announcing it will be placing the area in front of the famous Hachiko statue on lockdown, erecting a temporary fence around the popular meeting area from the early hours of 28 October until 1 November.

▼ The Hachiko statue

The area around the statue is a cramped one that isn’t designed to accommodate the huge numbers of people that meet there for Halloween, so the the City says the fencing is a safety measure. The temporary fence will not only prevent crowds from congregating at the statue, it will also block it from view until 1 November, even during the daytime, so that’s something to keep in mind if you’re a tourist visiting the area.

▼ No photos at Hachiko in the lead-up to Halloween this year.

Another new safety measure this year comes from Burger King, who’ve announced they’ll be closing the doors of their Center Gai branch on 31 October.

This Burger King branch is located along Center Gai, a thoroughfare that becomes so filled with revellers at Halloween that the city fears it could become the site of a dangerous crush like the one that occurred in Itaewon. The fast food joint is a popular place for young people to gather during the night, so Burger King is shutting the doors of this branch throughout the entire day and night on 31 October, using the closure as a chance to conduct a thorough cleaning of the store before reopening on 1 November.

▼ Burger King Center Gai (left) during Halloween.

Another hotspot for crowds is the McDonald’s at Center-Gai, so we’ll have to wait and see if McDonald’s follows suit by closing its doors as well. These two rival burger chains have poked digs at each other in the past, so it’ll be interesting to see if news of Burger King’s closure has any effect on McDonald’s…although it will be more interesting to see if people heed the city’s warning to Stay Away! from Shibuya this Halloween.

Sources: Otakomu, PR Times
Featured image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2), PR Times, unless otherwise stated
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