Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival

As a major center for Japan’s anime culture, Ikebukuro has gone for a slightly more Japanese approach to this imported annual festival.

Expect to see more people dressed up as their favorite manga or anime character rather than the more gruesome costumes that you’ll see elsewhere.

While it’s free to watch, if you want to dress up and take part, you need to pay ¥1,500 to the organizers.

As is standard for most cosplay events, organizers are very particular about not arriving to the area or leaving it in cosplay, so you’ll have to change in the provided dressing room. You have to register first,  after which you’ll usually get a badge, stamp, wristband, or whatnot to signify that you changed in the dressing room and can therefore participate in the event. You may also only be allowed to roam about in designated areas; some restaurants and shops may not want cosplayers to enter in costume, so organizers will usually list which establishments allow cosplayers to enter.

(Greg Lane)