Halloween is almost upon us. The time for shameless costume-wearing, pumpkin carving, and the consumption of more candy and whisky than you’d typically allow yourself.  In the states, kids will be trick-or-treating, while here in Japan, masses of cosplay-wearing people will flood the streets, enjoying seasonal food and drink, playing music, and going nuts.

Halloween is a little different in Japan. Here, costumes are more elaborate, with a great deal of time put into making them visually identical to the character that they represent. If you walk through the Shibuya area of Tokyo on Halloween weekend, you’re likely to see what looks like real-life Mario, Luigi, Samus (Metroid), several Final Fantasy characters, Pikachu, and much much more. 

Only, believe it or not, it won’t actually be them, but rather fans dressed up to look exactly like them. Hard to believe, I know, but true nonetheless. The costumes really are that good, after all, this is the land of manga, cosplay, and anime. 

In Tokyo the celebration can get quite chaotic; crowds flood the city, the roads close and huge street parties are hosted in a number of popular areas of the city. People dance, laugh, joke, sing, eat and have a good time to the small hours, before heading home for a little sleep and then getting up to do it all again. 

Dekanta Halloween Contest – Competition Time

Whether you’re partying in Japan or going trick-or-treating in the USA, we all have one thing in common – we like dressing up and eating lots of candy.

With that in mind, we thought it would be fun to run a little Halloween competition to get into the spirit of things and bring people and communities around the world together for one big celebration.

We want each of you to share how you’re celebrating this year with the rest of the world and give your costume the international recognition it deserves.  Simply send us a photo wearing your best costume and you’ll have the chance to win a free bottle of Yamazaki 18. As a special bonus, we’ll also be sending the first 500 submissions a free Japanese treat (terms apply).  

How It Works:

1. Take a photo of yourself in your Halloween costume. (Bonus points for toasting your favorite whisky in the photo)
2. Email the photo to halloween@dekanta.com or click here to submit on the contest webpage.
3. The first 500 submissions will receive a free Japanese candy by mail.
4. Watch for your photo on our Facebook or contest voting page.
5. Winners will be selected based on the photo receiving the most votes.