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

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）な気分（きぶん）になりますが、役（やく）に立（た）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 #DBZ. Here are some of our favorites from 2019. 

#1

傘買った瞬間に雨止んだ人 #地味ハロウィン #DPZ pic.twitter.com/z6hRMpVrD1

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 27, 2019

傘（かさ）買（か）った瞬間（しゅんかん）に雨（あめ）止（や）止（や）んだ人（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 レンタル彼女と待ち合わせしてるひと pic.twitter.com/jT42dGb0go

— yang_oort 地味ハロEC (@yang_oort) October 27, 2019

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

Is he sweating?

#3

80年代のマクドナルドの店員さんとウーバーイーツさんの奇跡のコラボ #地味ハロウィン pic.twitter.com/yDJKHigPeq

— あろ (@ALLforTomorrow) October 27, 2019

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

今年の #地味ハロウィン は「ゴミを出しそびれた人」。ポイントは本物の部屋着、どうでもいい靴下に急いで履いたつっかけ、自宅から持ってきた本物のゴミ pic.twitter.com/kCLeF4hlGR

— あの鬼の人 (@oni_red) October 27, 2019

今年（ことし）の #地味ハロウィン は「ゴミを出（だ）しそびれた人（ひと）」。ポイントは本物（ほんもの）の部屋着（へやぎ）、どうでもいい靴下（くつした）に急（いそ）いで履（は）いたつっかけ、自宅（じたく）から持（も）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

休日出勤で心が死んでる人 #地味ハロウィン #DPZ pic.twitter.com/amlFT7i45y

— デイリーポータルZ (@dailyportalz) October 27, 2019

休日（きゅうじつ）出勤（しゅっきん）で心（こころ）が死（し）んでる人（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

#地味ハロウィン　その二
「スマホを使い過ぎて漢字の書き方を忘れて、スマホを見ながら手紙を書く人。」Simple Halloween #2 – “A person who used their phone too much and forgot how to write kanji so they look them up on their phone while writing a letter. “ pic.twitter.com/S4i9IpJKbp

— Justin (@SleepyDeveloper) October 27, 2019

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.” に 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、恋（こい）に落（お）ちました。= I fell in love with you the moment I saw you.

Vocabulary

For more on learning Japanese