As New Year’s Eve is closing in on us (technically Christmas is, but it doesn’t matter in Asian countries – apart from when you desperately want to eat KFC chicken wings), another Japanese peculiarity is worth mentioning. As you probably have experienced by now, large crowds usually call for serious safety measures. And who is responsible for the aforementioned safety measures? You guessed right, the police! Now, let’s stay away from the ACAB tags etc, and examine the Japanese ‘big-event-cop’ equivalent.
The story goes as follows. Once on a starry night of 2014, Japan managed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals (not a small achievement for the national team). Shibuya is hellishly crowded everyday, however on that day it was even more hellishly crowded due to people’s celebrations. One cool policeman decided to change his approach towards the uncontrollable crowd and refer to them as a motivational sportscaster. “You are the team’s 12th player. Play fair like the Japanese team.”, he was urging the crowd. Obviously, his attitude caught the interest of passerby crowds and soon requests flocked to the local police department for ‘cool-cop’ training, because why not? The new policeman model is both effective and entertaining – two birds with one stone. Soon after, DJ cop became an noteworthy attraction in big events. Either for Halloween or for New Year’s countdown, DJ police fulfills its duty with coolness and creativity, high-fiving youngsters all the rage. Standing on high rise booths, referring to the crowds from microphones, a DJ cop is able to convert the controlling atmosphere to a smoother ‘ come on Barbie, let’s go party – but mind your surroundings guys’ party mood. According to my sensei -the most trustworthy source ever- DJ police is highly possible to be dispatched again in Shibuya scramble on the 31st. If you happen to be around the area, keep your eyes and ears open!
belleelene 