Ask any party-going resident of Fukui-ken, on the coast of the Sea of Japan, and they must say the Halloween train party is the best event of the year, (or risk banishment from the prefecture). It is organised by the International Club in Fukui which managed to convince Fukui’s Echizen railway to grant permission in 2003 (before there must have been safety regulations) to allow a moving party on one of their lines.
A bring your own bottle (BYOB) event, alcohol fuels the insanity which includes a live DJ, a lot of swinging from the handrails and rocking the carriages. With only two hundred and fifty tickets, I’ve taken time off from work to stand outside the ticket booth at the Fukui station to purchase tickets for myself and posse.
I’d never celebrated Halloween, although it was a trend that was catching on in Barbados before I left, but the idea of a party on a train where people normally sit in silence avoiding eye-contact, was too great a temptation. It did not disappoint.
It’s always best to start drinking two hours before arriving in Fukui city (pre-gaming) to be well-settled into whatever character you’ve chosen to play.
My Costumes
Why So Siri-us?
My first was the Joker…a far too literal representation, in retrospect, although, by the end of the night, my makeup had been corrected by sweat, resembling Heath Ledger’s iconic portrayal.
Martin Scissorhands
For my second, I was Martin Scissorhands, the main outfit made of black plastic bags, secondhand store belts and my fingers, made of the whittled bones of my enemies and painted to resemble scissors.
Adam From The Bible in the Carpark
For a third, I went with one of my best friends StEVE, as Adam – painted gold, all we wore were underwear adorned with autumn coloured leaves and small apples (shut up).
Me as myself being strangled by Capitalism (at the height of being triangle-torso-shaped)
A fourth…hmm…by this time I cared more about alcohol’s numbing effects than putting effort into my costume and went as myself, wearing a dog’s choker chain I’d offer to potential owners, and a mohawk wig.
Reckless Abandon
The best part of the train party is the reckless abandon accompanying the sense of being moved through space and time while moving yourself through space and time. The effect is enhanced by the inability to see past the cabin reflections into the night as you weave through rice fields and small towns. The sudden braking and filled compartments make it ok to touch, to hold onto a stranger’s arm for support. Once, another teacher I did not at that time know well, walked up to me and kissed me with tongue and walked away. The crowd was too blind drunk to see (or care).
There’s a final stop. Everyone gets off and the party goes on for a bit, again with live DJs. For one party, I didn’t realise I’d lost my ID card in the bustle until a friend returned it to me, well-trampled.
After about three hours, the train returns to Fukui Station and if I even smell alcohol it might be my end. However, there’s the option of heading to Fukui City’s Katamachi bar district, where the party continues until 3 a.m. at dance club Crème.
Comments