Japan’s “Jimi Halloween” is a subculture that began back in 2014. “Jimi Halloween” loosely translates to “mundane halloween” in Japanese, taking a fun new spin on the usual Halloween festivities. Jimi Halloween embraces the Halloween tradition of dressing up in costume while putting a lighthearted spin on it. Instead of dressing up in more traditional halloween costumes — like a witch or a pirate — people dress up as everyday, mundane experiences.
Participants dressed up in all sorts of creative, mundane situations. Person going to work on a windy day, the woman who’s having her bangs cut but the hairdresser is nowhere to be found, and a driver’s license were just some of the costumes that highlighted the event.
The subculture was started by a group of adults at Daily Portal Z, a Japanese blog, who wanted to participate in Halloween festivities without the elaborate or flashy costumes.
“Jimi Halloween”, which began on the internet, has expanded into an event, which was held both virtually and in-person this year because of COVID-19. The trend has grown in popularity throughout other parts of the country, and even into other parts of the world.
Taiwan took notes and held their own version of the japanese “Jimi Halloween” this year. Maybe next year the trend will continue to make its way around the world.