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Tweet of the Week #53: Mundane Halloween Costume Event Has Twitter Giggling

These costumes are actually genius. Learn a JLPT N1 phrase with this week's viral tweets!

By 3 min read

In the land that birthed the word cosplay, Halloween in Japan is less about trick or treating and all about embracing the fun of costumes. While you won’t have to worry about cavities, beware of the evil hangover the nights can curse you with—locals party hardcore on and around October 31.

But while Halloween is now what we’d consider big in Japan, not everyone gets in the mood to dress up in crazy outfits. 

In 2014, emerging from the shadow of Shibuya’s Halloween madness, the 地味じみハロウィン (Jimi Halloween) AKA “Mundane” Halloween event was launched. In Japanese, 地味 stands for “plain,” “sober,” “modest” or even “subdued.”

It’s organized by Daily Portal Z, a website sharing funny and very useless news whose motto is “愉快ゆかい気分きぶんになりますが、やくつことはありません =It feels good but doesn’t help.” 

Originally DPZ members wanted to take part in the Halloween fun in their own irreverent way by dressing up in “everyday life costumes” and thereby drawing attention to the profound mundanity of our daily existence. Since then, in a case of boring dystopian irony, the event has become just as much of a costume contest as the Shibuya street party

These “Mundane Halloween” costumes are brilliant

Every October, 地味 costumes go viral on Twitter with the hashtags #地味ハロウィン and #DBZHere are some of our favorites from 2019. 

#1

かさった瞬間しゅんかんあめんだひと  #地味ハロウィン #DPZ = Guy who bought an umbrella just as it stopped raining

This is so real. We can feel the pain of having bought yet another umbrella for NOTHING. 

#2

#地味ハロウィン レンタル彼女かのじょわせしてるひと = Guy who’s waiting for the girlfriend he rented 

Is he sweating?

#3


80はちじゅう年代ねんだいのマクドナルドの店員てんいんさんとウーバーイーツさんの奇跡きせきのコラボ #地味ハロウィン = 80’s McDonald’s clerk and Uber Eats miracle collaboration 

Oh so retro! We lovin’ it.

#4

今年ことし #地味ハロウィン は「ゴミをしそびれたひと」。ポイントは本物ほんもの部屋着へやぎ、どうでもいい靴下くつしたいそいでいたつっかけ、自宅じたくからってきた本物ほんもののゴミ

= This year for Mundane Halloween I’ll be the woman who missed trash day. Features are: wearing loungewear, whatever socks you rushed to put on and bringing real garbage from home. 

Why do they have to pick up trash so early in the morning!?

#5

休日きゅうじつ出勤しゅっきんこころんでるひと #地味ハロウィン #DPZ = Woman whose heart is dying having to commute to work on a holiday

Like a real-life Aggrestuko.

#6

Raise your hand if you feel personally attacked by this one.

How to express “split-second” in Japanese

In a horror movie, we know the fun is about to start the split-second someone decides to investigate that dark basement all alone without a flashlight. To express that split second when something happens triggering a feeling, impression or action, you’ll use JLPT N1 phrase 瞬間に.

The word 瞬間 translates to “moment, second, instant.”  helps you emphasize the fleetingness of the moment. 

  • Verb-casual, past + 瞬間 (に)
  • Noun + の瞬間 (に)

あなたを一目いちもく見た瞬間、こいちました。= I fell in love with you the moment I saw you.

Vocabulary

Japanese Romaji English
地味じみ jimi plain, mundane, subdued
ハロウィン harouin Halloween
かさ kasa umbrella
kau buy
瞬間しゅんかん shunkan ni the minute, the instant…
あめ ame rain
yamu stop (rain)
ひと hito person
レンタル彼女かのじょ rentaru kanojyo rental girlfriend
わせする machiawase suru meet up
80はちじゅう年代ねんだい hachijuu nendai 80’s
マクドナルド makudonarudo McDonald’s
店員てんいんさん tenin san Clerk (polite)
ウーバーイーツさん uubaaiitsu san Uber Eats (driver) (polite)
奇跡きせき kiseki miracle
コラボ korabo collaboration
今年ことし kotoshi this year
ゴミ gomi garbage
しそびれる dashisobireru fail to put out
ポイント pointo point
本物ほんもの honmon real thing
部屋着へやぎ heyagi lounging gown
どうでもいい dou demo ii indifferent, without care, no bothering about
靴下くつした kutsu shita socks
いそいで isoide in a hurry
haku wear (shoes)
自宅じたく jitaku home
ってくる motte kuru bring
休日きゅうじつ出勤しゅっきん kyuu jitsu shyukkin holiday work shift
こころ kokoro heart
shinu die
一目いちもく ichimoku one look
こいちる koi ni ochiru fall in love
あなた anata you

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