Japanese Kids Can No Longer Get Halloween Candy From The Yakuza

 It's a sad day for children in Kobe as they'll no longer be able to trick or treat with the Yakuza thanks to the Hyogo prefectural government has voted to make it illegal for children to enter the compound of the Yamaguchi-gumi Japan's largest organize crime group. 

  The criminal organization has been handing out candy at Halloween at its Kobe HQ since 2013, beckoning kids to step inside the gates and onto the grounds of their complex with calls of “Happy Halloween!” and “Come on in and get your candy!” However, local children with a sweet tooth will have to get their fix elsewhere this year, as the Yamaguchi-gumi is now legally barred from giving sweets to trick-or-treaters.

This week the Prefectural Assembly of Hyogo, the prefecture Kobe is a part of, voted unanimously to revise the Organized Crime Exclusion Ordinances, adding provisions that make it illegal for a criminal organization to give gifts (monetary or otherwise) to minors, invite them onto the grounds of their facilities, or correspond with them. Exceptions are made for “legitimately justifiable reasons,” but handing out snacks in a blatant attempt to curry favor with young children doesn’t cut it, legislators say.

Japanese Candy Making Artist | Amezaiku

Japanese candy artistry is a performing art with a history going back over a thousand years. Amezaiku was offered during the Heian period to wide eyed children (794-1185) and is still seen at festival stands when the Amezaiku master takes a blob of taffy sugar called mizuame and turns it into an animal or character. It's amazing to see it, like a clown make balloon animals at a kid's birthday party. Amezaiku masters have only 2-3 minutes to make the character before the warm candy hardens and it sets.