Tokyo’s Halloween Party Train Rides Again
The legend of the Yamanote Line comes to life again
“O friend and companion of night, thou who rejoicest in the baying of dogs and spilt blood, who wanderest in the midst of shades among the tombs, who longest for blood and bringest terror to mortals, Gorgo, Mormo, thousand-faced moon, look favourably on our sacrifices!” – HP Lovecraft
On a particular Saturday night in late October at a particular station in the heart of Tokyo, I found myself standing on the platform waiting for a particular train with a Halloween costume in my bag and a bottle of Jack Daniels in my back pocket. Around me small clumps of gaijins (foreigners) and Japanese, some in costume, some not, stood conspicuously inconspicuous on the platform of the northbound Yamanote Line. We were all there waiting for the same train. Some of us were seasoned veterans, while others were newbies waiting for proof of a Tokyo urban legend — the Yamanote Halloween Train.
The Yamanote Line is one of the main arteries of Tokyo’s extensive public transportation system. Pumping the city’s lifeblood in the form of salary men, office ladies, school kids, English teachers, and foreign employees, the Yamanote consists of 29 stations in a circular loop around the center edge of Tokyo. It takes about one hour to do a complete loop barring any delays from people congestion, accidents, and suicides. It’s possible to ride around and around Tokyo all day, or most of the day, if one catches the right train. There are no restrooms on the train, however, as many of the partiers found out to their horror three beers into the party.
The legend of the Yamanote Halloween Train
The legend of the Yamanote Halloween Train goes that sometime in the 90s a group of gaijins and Japanese literally took over a Yamanote Train — at least a car or two — and partied on it as it looped around Tokyo. The tradition continued through the years it spread by word of mouth to become an urban legend. Some people thought it only a myth or just a one-time occurrence.
For the police, the Yamanote Halloween Train was no myth and some years later they helped to shut it down whenever it got too rowdy — sometimes before it even began. In previous years, some of the partiers reportedly vented their anger at a faceless public transportation system with its inhumanly overcrowded trains and eyesore advertisements by ripping down ads and unscrewing the lights. Tired of being packed in like livestock, the cattle had rebelled against the cattle car. Obviously, this didn’t sit too well with the authorities.
According to some there was a hiatus period of a few years in which the Yamanote Halloween Train didn’t run. After waiting in vain last year for the train, one German gaijin decided to take matters into his own hands and initiated the call via a mass email that got spread around. In the past, so the stories say, the party would be announced surreptitiously through the free weekly English magazine: Metropolis then known as the Tokyo Classified.
Meanwhile that night the clumps of gaijins and Japanese slowly started to congeal together as we realized we shared a similar purpose. Many of them were like myself; they had heard of the Halloween train for years, but had never seen it. Some of us were worried the message was a fake or that the police would be in force to prevent any party from forming. But as the appointed time and train arrived, our fears were put to rest and the Yamanote Halloween Train ran once again.
Vampires, power rangers, masked wrestlers, pirates. . .
Commuters suddenly found themselves deluged with a motley horde of vampires, power rangers, masked wrestlers, pirates, playboy bunnies, ninjas, one bloody Grim Reaper, and Darth Vader. Many of the commuters must have thought we were a large group heading to a Halloween party. What they soon came to realize was that we were the party.
Out came the booze and snacks. It was a strictly BYOB affair but the spirit of generosity moved the partiers to share their elixirs with one another and also with the bemused commuters. A certain “Death” with a family-sized package of potato chips swinging from his skeletal arm wandered about the carriages offering swigs of Jack Daniels — alright that was me, but don’t tell anyone.
Whenever the train would pull up to a station, revelers would play a type of “Russian Roulette” — Yamanote-style — by dashing from one car to the next before the doors would close. As we got further along the loop, we would start chanting the names of the stations as we arrived. Then we would greet on coming passengers and entreat them to join us. With salary men commuters we would comment on the excellence of their costumes depicting Japanese salary men. I’m not sure they quite understood or appreciated our “compliments,” but they were more than happy to take a few pulls on the old whiskey bottle.
A civil and friendly debauchery
A few commuters joined in on the chanting of station names while others snapped photos. I have to give credit to the ordinary Japanese passengers. They either ignored us completely, watched in silent amusement, or joined in and helped themselves to the liquor and food. I saw little in the way of contempt. Very good sports, I would say.
All in all it was a civil and friendly debauchery that bred more good will and cheer, rather than any animosity or even any “vomitry.” We left the train in better condition than drunken spewing salary men on a Friday night bender do. Nor was very much hostility present towards the Yamanote Line as there seems to have been in the past, by some accounts. Most of us were chanting “Yamanote!” like lovesick rock fans.
After one loop was completed many of us got off, while a small number rode for one more. In the past supposedly the party would continue till either the trains stopped running or the police shut it down. This year many partiers were just happy to be able to get one or two loops out of the Halloween Train before any mishaps could occur. It was enough just to be part of a Tokyo Legend — to have rode one loop of the notorious Yamanote Halloween Train. I got off after the first loop, but around 11ish I tried to catch the train again but alas by that time the Yamanote Halloween Train faded back into the frenzied dream from which it had sprung.
A native Tennesseean, David M. Weber is currently at the grammatical grindstone cranking out gerunds, dangling modifiers and perfecting tenses as an English teacher in Japan. In his travels, he has hiked the Inca Trail, been mugged in Mexico City, broke his leg in Switzerland, attempted to bike through Mexico and failed, climbed Pyramids in Egypt and Mexico, drank great quantities of beer at Oktoberfest and gambled at Monte Carlo.
All text and photos ©2005 D.Weber
This piece originally appeared at Ohmy News. Cross-posted here with permission of the author.
hi zakiah
FRCKN GAY
Is this guy cool or what? What a terrific idea!! Alright, next year I’m getting together a Yamanote copycat party around Chicago loop on the Elevated, who’s coming?
November 10th, 2005 at 10:21 amThat was really cool. This reminds me of Improv Everywhere
November 10th, 2005 at 4:13 pmGlad its still going… I was on the 1992 one when it was just a couple of carriages.
November 10th, 2005 at 5:40 pmThose who think this is somehow `cool’ obviously have never read any comments from Japanese commuters who found themselves unwilling guests at your `party.’
November 11th, 2005 at 12:01 amThere’s a good reason the cops tried to shut it down: it was obnoxious. A friend of mine was hardly impressed with the “warmth and good feeling” when his new suit got splashed with cheap whiskey and he was sprayed by some f**khead (excuse the &*(^&) with a water pistol.
You want to have a halloween party? Have it in your own home where only those who want to attend need to, and you have to clean up after yourself.
sounds like Mr. Pink needs to get that rod removed from his anus:roll:
November 11th, 2005 at 2:04 amIf commuters really don’t mind, and were joining in, and the partygoers were all civilised then it sounds cool.
But if it’s as Mr. Pink says, and this annoys people, then I have to say “What a bunch of dicks”. There’s nothing worse than loud obnoxious foreigners getting drunk and acting like they own the world.
And if the obnoxious foreigners in Japan are anything like the ones in Taiwan, most of them can’t speak very much of the local language, or know anything about the local culture, which makes them so much more obnoxious.
It sounds fun to show off halloween costumes and get everyone in the spirit, but not at the expense of people who have no choice but to catch the train to get home. You could at least do it somewhere where people have the option to avoid you if they choose.
Sounds kind of inconsiderate to me. Costumes – ok. Drinking and partying on public transport – not cool.
Btw, I didn’t like the way you talked about vandalism and destruction to public property as if people who pull down advertisements and unscrew lights are doing anything admirable. That’s just annoying, and kind of retarded.
I don’t know what the plural for douche is, but if I did, I would call you guys that.
November 11th, 2005 at 2:48 amPeople need to lighten up. Partying on the subway is golden. I wish somebody would offer me a swig of JD when I used to take public transit after work. Even if you don’t enjoy it, its only one trip home. Nothing to cry about.
November 11th, 2005 at 6:03 amUrg, after watching those videos even i started to hate foreign people in Japan. They were simply being drunken idiots shouting dumb stuff and getting in peoples way. No different to the drunken morons you get stumbling round town centers in the uk.
If i was on that train and had to be on it for 30minutes i would end up punching someone (probably the insanely obnoxious guying trying to get people to sing a long with him). You can even see in the video people at the station looking apprhensive and not sure if they want to get on the train.
November 11th, 2005 at 8:53 amThat is a sucky tradition -_-
Ah, the whining of self-rigtheous holier-than-thou stick-in-the-mud wankers! Such music to my ears!
I find it interesting that though the article repeatedly mention both foriegners and japanese being part of this party as can be seen in the videos as well, our purtinacal whiners here conviently left that out and griped only about “obnoxious” foreigners. One wonders if these whiners are xenophobiac right-wing japanese or simply holier-than-thou westerners trying to ingratiate themselves on how “well” they behave in our countries.
From all the accounts that I’ve read and heard such as this article and blog sites, it was a fun party and quite civil unlike earlier years. Drunken salarymen often leave the trains in worse state with their vomit and this is weekly state of affairs whereas the Yamanote Halloween party train is only once a year.
Lighten up as #7 says! I hope the Yamanote Halloween Party goes on year after year!:twisted:
November 11th, 2005 at 6:19 pmwell, my story seems to have caused a minor stir. But that’s what makes life interesting.
I should point out a few things that some here may have overlooked or mistakenly inferred.
First of all to tan-tan, I do not feel that the vandelous actions of some partiers of previous Halloween parties were “admirable.” I only offer a reason as to why they did these things. Personally, I think it stupid and childish.
As to the tell-to-tell omission of the japanese presence in the critics’ comments here as harry points out, I can say as a participant that were nearly as many japanese as there were foriegners carrying on; as it has always been from all the accounts. And yet all the criticism is directed solely at the “obnoxious” foreigners.
There is an obnoxious presence amongst foreigners (particularly westerners) in other countries. Its either:
1) Total disrespect for another country’s culture (which begs the question why did they leave home in the first place)
or
2)Total hostility towards other foreigners in another country. Its a kind of “I’m better than the other foreigners” mentality that harry rather vehemently speaks about. A kind of Uncle Tomism for foreigners.
I see both of these attitudes in Japan and neither one is terribly endearing.
As to the commuters: many commuters took pictures – you can see that in the video as well – and joined in chanting station nations.
Those who weren’t interested either moved to another car or just ignored us. No big deal, really.
I noticed one of the salarymen commuters that I gave a swig of whiskey to was in a picture on another blogsite at Ebisu Station. This means he rode the loop once as well joining the party.
Anyway, it was a fun party. Nothing to get too worked up about – at least not this year’s party. Every society needs a little rule-bending fun here and there. I hope to catch the Yamanote Halloween Train again next year!
cheers!
November 13th, 2005 at 7:59 pmHarry & D: sure, drunk salarymen are just as obnoxious as you guys, but (at least in my experience) when they sober up they’re smart enough to be a bit ashamed of themselves instead of bragging about what an annoyance they were.
November 13th, 2005 at 8:50 pmOh, and nice try with the “uncle tom” crack, but that dog won’t hunt…any Japanese who join in on your annual public nuisance are just as asinine as you and deserve equal *****slapping.
whatever, reverend killjoy:roll: – just don’t single out one group for your bitch slap. We wouldn’t want to think you biased, now would we?
Remind me to send you details of the next Halloween party train so you can deliver on your promise of a bitchslap:lol:
November 13th, 2005 at 10:19 pmThe only time I ever saw Japanese kick the shit out of gaijin en masse was at the Yamamote Line event. Some idiot Americans had dressed as Rodney Pears, the Louisiana redneck who had just shot a Japanese exchange student in Baton Rouge (the kid had knocked on the wrong door while to attend a Halloween Party, and got shot)
November 14th, 2005 at 5:01 am-At this particular Yamanote Line bash (1995?), the Americans had costumed themselves as Piears, complete with toy guns, which they pointed at Japanese passengers on the trains. Somewhere around Shibuya, some Japanese teenagers proceeded to kick the shit out of them.–The police tried to close the party in subsequent years.
The Rodney Speiars people in the costumes had pointed their toy guns at Japanese and shouted, “Freeze!”
Just like the Louisiana dude had done before he shot the American.
Tasteless. I remember it well.
November 14th, 2005 at 8:59 amIt’s not safe for caucasians to gather same place because Japan is also the target of Al-Qaeda.
November 14th, 2005 at 9:31 amYeah, yeah D. killjoy, uncle tom, all that jazz. and your fun-loving, innocent partiers are drunkenly mocking the death of a teenage kid. real classy, you lot. real, real classy. just goes to show that the term `crap-for-brains’ has nothing to do with race, nationality, ethnic background…
November 14th, 2005 at 9:54 amyour fun-loving, innocent partiers are drunkenly mocking the death of a teenage
uh, Mr. Pink, that was a really dumb comment. Might I suggest Reading Comp 101?
At this particular Yamanote Line bash (1995?),
The event I attended was ten years after. Different time, different people. Its ridiculous to equate the two.
As for that incident, those partiers got what they deserved IMO – unfortunately the person they were tastlesly impersonating didn’t get what he deserved which is a prison sentence.
As I said before this year’s party was relatively civil and nothing to kick up much of a fuss about.
November 14th, 2005 at 9:45 pmD. sorry, but “relatively civil” is a relative term.
November 14th, 2005 at 10:19 pmeveryone likes to have a good time, me included. and everyone (me included) is capable of acting like a jerk at times. the trick is to do it among those who want to join in, and not force people who are just tired after a long day or week at work to put up with you. I don’t care how “civil” you claim it was, or how many co-opted people decided to join it. Your gang acted like a bunch of inconsiderate jerks.
And as far as the earlier party being a different gang, well, as the saying goes: you lay down with dogs; you wake up with fleas. You want to have a party at your home, send me an invitation and I’ll show up with a case of beer and a couple of bottles of good wine, and probably (no guarantee) offer to help out with the cleanup afterwards. But you go out on public transportation acting like a jerk and you get no free pass. simple matter of courtesy, consideration and common sense.
Your gang acted like a bunch of inconsiderate jerks.
No one forced anyone to participate. Those wanted to did and those who didn’t either moved or ignored us. The party more resemble a large group headed to a party rather a party itself. I take the example of the salaryman who willingly joined the party to its completion as a minor victory in the war on the dehumanization of the modern world.
November 14th, 2005 at 10:31 pmD, I don’t need to smear you lot; you did that quite ably yourself by bragging about your loutish behavior.
November 15th, 2005 at 11:31 am“Those who didn’t either moved…” Keep that phrase in mind next time you feel like complaining about some invasion of your privacy. maybe the rightwing sound trucks blaring outside your home or office, or the motorbike gangs going 120db at 4 in the morning, or the taxi driver who passes you by in the rain, or splashes through that puddle just as you’re walking by. Hey, you don’t like it? Move!
You’ve made a mountain of Prudishness out of molehill of some harmless fun.
But I think I finally realize why you are so bitter that you keep coming back to throw one more log on the fire – you’re bitter because no one invited you to the party, aren’t you?:lol:
Well not to worry! I’ll try to see to it that you get an invitation to next years’ event so you won’t have to rely on hearsay, assumptions, and desperate comparisons when you speak of this event in the future.
And I shall shave particularly close that morning in preperation of getting bitchslapped by you:lol:
November 15th, 2005 at 10:11 pmOh c’mon Mr. Pink, it’s one day out of the year.. People understand. Halloween is becoming a worldwide holiday now, even in Japan – so hope you’re not offended by having to dodge armies of kiddies on their way to trick-or-treat, ’cause I mean that’s kinda inconvenient too, isn’t it? It’s healthy to kick back a bit sometimes, you should try it. Besides, better to have a party where people are required to be awake (i.e. public transport) than next to some poor sap’s house at midnight when they’re trying to sleep (and we all know Halloween parties HAVE TO occur in the wee hours.)
Plz don’t be like some of those uptight ultra-pious types in Europe trying to get Halloween banned, plz??
November 16th, 2005 at 8:10 amD & D: you’re right; i don’t get it; i’m a killjoy, a prude. so I leave you with just two words:
Nuisance: an act, condition, thing or person causing trouble, annoyance or inconvenience
Consideration: thoughtful or sympathetic regard for others
learning & applying them would do you no harm
November 16th, 2005 at 10:51 amPink, put a freakking cork in it, ya sanctimonous prudish sap!
I leave you with 4 words already mentioned above:
November 17th, 2005 at 11:35 pmLighten the f*ck up!
Harry: you don’t like my comments, you can move.
November 18th, 2005 at 10:39 amnow, now, boys! Don’t get uppity! If Pink wants to be a prude that’s his business. And by the look of things nothing will stop him from having the last word so you’re fighting a losing battle, harry.
The Yamanote Halloween Train will ride again and all welcome – prude and pirate – to join in. But don’t start breaking the crockery. Its about having fun and unwinding a bit not vandalism.
November 18th, 2005 at 9:35 pmActually, D, it’s about being inconsiderate louts. But if that’s your idea of fun, have at it.
November 18th, 2005 at 11:25 pmMr. Pink, you have to understand – not everyone’s from Canada or NZ. I think there might even be some New Yorkers around here too..
November 19th, 2005 at 5:49 amI have really been enjoying this thread on the sidelines, but I have a question for Duo:
“not everyone’s from Canada or NZ”
While that would indeed be a frightening world to imagine, just what is it in reference to??
November 19th, 2005 at 8:32 amFrightening indeed, ghoti, but just imagine the level of politeness..
November 19th, 2005 at 9:11 amGee, Duo, I’ve been accused of many things in my life, but never before of being from Canada or New Zealand. ROFL because you ain’t got a clue!
November 19th, 2005 at 10:31 amDid I say you were? Alright, maybe I should stay away from abstract jokes, but I just knew subtle humor would fly right over your head.
How about we all make up now, because if you can’t laugh at this I refuse to antagonize you more.
November 19th, 2005 at 10:38 amuh, ROFL = rolling on floor laughing
November 19th, 2005 at 10:49 amsorry, Duo. It was just too funny. Give you a hint: do your halloween train thing in my hometown, and you’d best go well-armed…
November 19th, 2005 at 1:17 pmit’s about being inconsiderate louts.
sigh, you just can’t stay away from those absolute statements of things you can’t personally vouch for, can you?
That’s why I think you’re prude – not for your difference in opinion but your assuredness of something you only know about from hearsay, assumptions, and weak analogies.
Still I admit it is entertainining to see your prudishness and your determination to remain a prude despite my best efforts to get you to lighten up.
I hope for your sake that rod doesn’t give you colon cancer.
November 19th, 2005 at 3:23 pmD, for my part I hope for your sake that you wake up to a bit of elementary consideration for your fellow human beings, before one of them decides you need a more rigorous lesson in courtesy.
November 19th, 2005 at 5:38 pmYou’re a peach, Mr. Pink! Such individuals are rare who will doggedly defend a position woefully unarmed and just keep coming back and back with the same rhetoric to the point where the other party realizes the futility in debate and abandons the field – meanwhile giving the defender the illusion that somehow they have won.
Nevertheless, I yield the field to you since you can’t seem to grasp that absolute statements do not and cannot apply here! Had you used such words as “In my opinion…” or “I feel/think that…” etc… I would not have carried on for so long myself.
But I have pet peeve about highly-opinionated persons as you appear to be (notice! I did not say you are highly-opinionated but only that you appear to be by your behavior here) who try to make their opinions out to be established facts rather generally by the use of absolute statements.
November 19th, 2005 at 6:51 pmI hope you don’t take that advice from Mr. Pink and instead continue to enjoy your life while keeping Tokyo an interesting city.
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