Halloween in Japantown 2023

Thanks to all the businesses, organizations and YOU all who came out for making Halloween in Japantown such a great event for our community!

See you all next year! Thursday, October 31st!

Halloween in Japantown has taken place every year on Halloween for the last 20 years (including virtual Halloween in the height of COVID) and will continue to do so until otherwise announced by San Jose Taiko.

Brief history of the event: Halloween in Japantown was created by Franco Imperial of San Jose Taiko and Kathy Sakamoto (at that time part of Japantown Business Association) in 2003 as safety-conscious event for the community. Rich Saito of the SJPD volunteered his time to give a safety talk to kids before the trick-or-treating ensued. In its first year there were less than 8 Japantown businesses or organizations involved - Heidi Shigematsu of Shigematsu Insurance handed out balloons and a handful of others joined in on the fun. After San Jose Taiko moved out of its then rehearsal space at Okida Hall on 6th Street Wesley United Methodist Church kindly housed San Jose Taiko’s opening performance and safety skit in their Fellowship Hall. As the popularity of the event grew the Fellowship Hall and the sidewalks became over crowded and posed safety concerns. With the help of our friends at the Knight Foundation we piloted street closures to give our community the freedom to move about on the street and allow for our beloved Japantown businesses and organizations to activate their spaces in their own unique ways. We’re so happy it has become a community tradition!