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Ikebukuro Halloween Fes 2015 was held over two days on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Ikebukuro is a well-known area that spreads the subcultures of Japan, primarily in and around Otome Road, and during the event the area was jam-packed with cosplayers. According to an announcement from the event’s organizers, over the two days 14,000 cosplayers gathered. The event’s total attendance was recorded at 75,000.
At the opening ceremony held on Oct. 31, Toshima native and politician Yuriko Koike made an appearance dressed in Sally the Witch cosplay, and Toshima Mayor Yukio Takano, who was also honorary chairperson on the event committee, took the stage in Kaibutsu-kun cosplay.
“Hello, I’m Yuri! This is quite embarrassing (lol),” Koike said, setting the crowd on fire with excitement. Mayor Takano also spoke enthusiastically, saying, “It’s very exciting for this event to be held again this year following last year. Everyone, let’s raise the level of excitement to a fever pitch!”
During the event, cosplayers took to a special stage in East Ikebukuro Central Park to show their varied performances. The whole of Toshima and local shopping districts cooperated with the event on all fronts as well, and a variety of plans were carried out to make cosplayers happy including being able to shop in Niconico Honsha and Animate stores while dressed in cosplay. Because of these, the Ikebukuro East Exit area was crowded with even more cosplayers than ever before.
There were also tons of cameramen in attendance, and photo shoots were held on the red carpets sprawled out at local parks, on the Sunshine Grand Staircase, and on Sunshine Street.
Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Fes was held for the first time last year. This year saw largely scaled up attendance at 75,000 compared to last year’s 52,000. There were also 236,000 online attendees watching on Niconico Live. The event ended as a resounding success.
Source: animeanime
Source article written by Shigeyoshi Okimoto
