Kyoto
Kyoto, as the historic capital of Japan up until the Meiji Restoration, is a city that fully embraces its traditions and history. This goes for its Halloween celebrations as well, as many of the Halloween events center around traditional folklore and mythology.
One of the most popular events for Halloween takes place at the Toei Kyoto Studio Park with the KaiKai Yokai Festival. Yokai are best described as supernatural beings of Japanese folklore. At the festival, different events and activities revolving around them take place against the backdrop of a reconstructed Edo period town. There is also a parade that goes through the grounds featuring actors dressed in costumes! The event takes place from September 13th up to November 30th in 2025!
Another unique event that is a distinctly Japanese way of celebrating Halloween would be ASOBIYUKU, held at Kyoto Rurikei Onsen. An onsen is a type of public bath in Japan with showers and multiple pools to bathe in. They are a staple pastime in Japan, especially during the cooler months. Combining the season with the spooky festivities of late October, the onsen and its facilities are decorated with a Halloween theme and specialty dishes and desserts are served! From October 26th to November 2nd, 2025, a special, after-hours “test of courage” haunted house event will take place, starting at 10 P.M. The ASOBIYUKU event spans from September 8th to November 2nd, 2025, and a series of events for children and families will also be held.
Being as ancient of a city as it is, Kyoto is said to be host to a medley of supernatural activity. For those looking to see the paranormal side of the ancient capital, a ghost tour showing spots said to be haunted throughout the city may be in order! During fall, there are a number of tours in the Arashiyama area that focus specifically on these kinds of activities, while other tours take you to notably spooky parts of central Kyoto.
AloJapan.com