Japan’s ‘jimi’ Halloween costumes are meant to appear ‘mundane.’ They’re actually brilliant.

For some, finding an inventive Halloween costume can be a huge (and sometimes stressful) feat. That’s why, for the last 12 years or so, many in Japan have dressed in the most hilariously mundane costumes they can find. It’s called “Jimi Halloween,” with “Jimi” meaning “plain, simple, subdued, sober,” according to an online Japanese dictionary. The gist is this: think of everyday situations. Perhaps someone is trying, but failing, to open a plastic bag at the supermarket for their bananas. Or maybe someone bought popcorn and a large soda at the movies but has no place to put them. The idea is that we so often find ourselves in these daily situations. The contenders for best “most boring” costumes seem to get more and more creative each year. As ‘mundane’ as possible Spoon and Tamago, a self-described “Japanese art, design and culture website,” explains that the tradition dates back to 2014. They share, “The tradition was started by a group of adults at Daily Portal Z, who kind of wanted to participate in the festivities of Halloween but were too embarrassed to go all out in witch or zombie costumes. So instead of the flashy and flamboyant costumes they had been seeing gain popularity in Japan, they decided to dress up in mundane, everyday costumes.” Under a post explaining the idea from the First Degree podcast, many share the costumes they’ve come up with over the years. One Instagrammer has an elaborate plan. “This year, I am going as ‘guy checking out at the grocery store but realizes he left his wallet in the car and has to hurry out to the parking lot to go get it.’” Another shares their winning look. “I went to the office as ‘stock photo of woman eating salad.’ (The stock photo part truly took it to the next level.) ‘Counteracting’ Halloween The Halloween “movement” has gained traction over the years. In a Reddit thread titled “The Japanese have perfected the mundane Halloween costume,” one person shares, “I just heard about this on NPR yesterday. Apparently Halloween has become really big in Tokyo and a lot of people go all out on costumes, so the last few years someone has been throwing a party to ‘counteract’ the trend. Hundreds of people come in mundane costumes that show an awkward or irritating moment in daily life. Hilarious!” Another adds a few of their favorites. “I saw some of these on twitter last(?) year, including ‘Man who doesn’t know his backpack is open’, ‘Woman whose picture is on packets of noodles’ and ‘Door attendant’. I love that ‘person who only has Nike shoes’ is otherwise head-to-not-quite-foot Adidas.” 1. The man who opened up a Coke bottle that had already been shaken. 2. The woman who accidentally “missed trash day.” 3. Photo “assistant” whose job is to “make kids laugh. 4. The guy who gets too many sauces for his meal. 5. “Person listening to the song they’re about to sing next at Karaoke” Photo Credit: @YSSkywalker, Spoon & Tamago 6. Person who tries to drink coffee, but forgets they’re wearing a mask. Photo credit: Japanagram 7. The guy who smiles at every dog who walks by. Photo credit: @YSSkywalker, Spoon & Tomago