Halloween 2024 - when will everyone be celebrating?

You're right to think about the Thursday timing. The 31st itself is actually pretty good in Roppongi because a lot of people take Friday off to make a four-day weekend out of it. The Halloween party at V2 Tokyo in Roppongi usually goes late into the night on the Thursday, and it's less of a tourist circus than Shibuya.

For your weekend question, Oct 26-27 is the one. Nov 2-3 is when everyone's recovering from their long weekend or doing family stuff. Plus the weather's usually still decent in late October for walking around in costume without freezing. Just be ready for the crowds on the Yamanote line that Saturday night, they run extra trains but it still gets packed.

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honestly for Tokyo Halloween the weekend before is where most of the action is, Oct 26-27. Shibuya's been cracking down hard the last couple years so the real party moved to Roppongi and Shinjuku ni-chome. the 31st itself is fine but it's a Thursday so crowds thin out early since people have work friday.

if you're coming from Osaka I'd aim for that Oct 26-27 weekend. Nov 2-3 is technically closer to Halloween but by then most people are over it and the costume shops are already switching to christmas stuff. plus you'll catch the tail end of the Halloween trains on the Odakyu line if that's your thing.

fwiw the Shibuya meguro area has a smaller but way more chill street party vibe on the 31st if you want something less chaotic. just bring cash for konbini beers.

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yeah the weekend before is def the move for big crowds but ngl the 31st itself has its own charm if you're into the chaos of it. roppongi gets wild on thursday night cause it's a holiday the next day for a lot of people, so friday isn't as dead as you'd think. just expect way more drunk foreigners and less of the organized street stuff you'd see on a saturday.

if you're set on a weekend tho, oct 26-27 is when all the major costume contests and themed parties happen. check out the ones at ageha or womb in shibuya if you want a proper club night, they usually go all out with decorations and djs. nov 2-3 is basically a ghost town for halloween stuff, everyone's moved on to autumn leaves and christmas markets by then

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if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping

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kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.

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tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.

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