Upcoming Events: Halloween at Hirome

Tomorrow night, there will be a Halloween party at Hirome Ichiba. I've been looking forward to it for weeks. Just about all the ALTs will be going and from the sounds of it, it's a pretty big event. I don't think that Halloween is celebrated that much in Japan, though I have seen seasonal decorations in some of the stores. I'm guessing there isn't any trick or treating. However, it is apparently still a valid excuse for partying.

For my costume, I'm going as Arrietty from Karigurashi no Arrietty (The Borrower Arrietty). It's a fairly simple costume. The only parts that were really necessary were a red turtleneck dress and a large clothespin to use as a hairclip. I'm hoping it'll be a fairly recognizable costume; otherwise I'll just look like a person in a slightly strange outfit. A lot of the ALTs don't know the character, but I expect it should be obvious to most of the Japanese people. Karigurashi no Arrietty just came out this fall and was well publicized as it is a Studio Ghibli film. It's also kind of exciting to think that I'll be cosplaying in Japan. Cosplay is short for "costume play", and is the term for dressing up as an anime, manga or video game character. It's very common at anime conventions, but not so much elsewhere. It's a rather geeky hobby. Halloween is a good time to cosplay without coming across as a weirdo.

Anyhow, after all the hype, I'm hoping the party won't be a letdown. At the very least, it's another occasion to go out with the Kochi JETs.