Waldman, the founder and host of the 'Spoon & Tamago' international blog, was born in New York, grew up in Japan, and is now based in Brooklyn. His blog has been covering all aspects of Japanese design since 2007, and aims to communicate Japanese arts and crafts to the entire world, from fine art and architecture to product and graphic design.

We asked Waldman about when he first heard about the 'mundane Halloween' event and why he thinks it's been such a huge success not just in Japan, but worldwide, too.

"I first heard about the event in 2018 through social media. I came across someone who had posted a picture of themselves holding a tray and empty plate," he told Bored Panda via email.

"They had 'dressed up' as someone in line for a hotel buffet. I thought it was the funniest thing."

According to Waldman, there are some elements present in these costume ideas that resonate very deeply with a wide public. "I think one of the reasons it’s become so popular is that the 'costumes' have a way of highlighting how absurd yet relatable everyday life can be," he shared.

We were also interested in his thoughts about the essence of these 'mundane Halloween' costumes. 

"I think one key to a great, mundane costume is to find the perfect balance between obscurity and relatability," Waldman, the founder of 'Spoon & Tamago,' said.

"Something we’ve all experienced or seen and yet have never really thought about it."

Meanwhile, he had some spot-on advice for anyone who's constantly stressed over impressing others with their Halloween costume. "Embrace the slacker vibe!" he urged everyone to relax.

The tradition is known as 地味ハロウィン (‘Jimi Harowin’ or ‘plain/mundane Halloween’) in Japan. It was first started nearly a decade ago, all the way back in 2014, by the staff at the ‘Daily Portal Z’ website. They wanted to celebrate Halloween. However, they were a tad too embarrassed to dress up in elaborate costumes. Instead, they opted for some costumes that portray scenes from everyday life.

The creative project became a nearly instantaneous hit and went viral all over the globe. For one, the idea is a very imaginative approach to Halloween costumes: most people go for flashy or elaborate designs to stand out; here, however, the plainer you are, the better. So it’s something fresh and unusual. Another reason why it’s spread so widely is that some folks are a bit shy (hi!) or too tired to come up with overly complicated costume ideas.

Yuji Hayashi, the webmaster of the ‘Daily Portal Z’ site, previously shared his thoughts about the sensation with Bored Panda.

“I thought it was just a Japanese domestic joke, so I was surprised that people in the US and UK were talking about it on Twitter,” he told us during an earlier interview, adding that the tradition is a chance for people to do something humorous.

“All the participants struggle with ideas for costumes every year. But I think they enjoy thinking about it. Stores, train stations, and people working in the city all become role models for the costumes,” the ‘Daily Portal Z’ representative explained that some people already start thinking about next year’s designs right after Halloween ends.

It was webmaster Hayashi who came up with the idea to organize the ‘mundane Halloween’ back in 2014 with some of his friends. The tradition grew, year after year. Soon enough, in 2018, the event had 700 participants. In fact, the entire project was so successful that in 2019, they actually had to limit the number of people who could participate!

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it changed how the event was organized. For instance, online submissions started becoming accepted at the time. “We don't have any claim to any rights regarding Jimi Halloween. We want people to hold it at work or school or with their neighbors. It is also held in Taiwan. We'd love to have it in the US too!” Hayashi shared with Bored Panda that he wants the phenomenon to become even more widespread.

The genius of ‘mundane Halloween’ lies in its subtle simplicity. You can turn everyday moments into costumes that will end up being photographed and shared and reshared all over the globe. These moments require a moment of brilliance to capture and distill their essence. For instance, you might choose to embody a mildly annoying train passenger who has a huge backpack and plays games on their phone throughout the entire commute.

Or you might decide to dress up as someone who cuts their own bangs, or someone who’s been locked out of their hotel room. These ideas are phenomenal and give you a brand new perspective on life as a whole. Now, every time you’re commuting to work or walking down the street, you can start identifying and classifying people like you never could before. It's all in the details!

The fact of the matter is that Halloween should be enjoyable. However, a lot of people feel pressured to impress everyone with their costumes at all the seasonal parties. Though we all crave attention and the respect of our peers, we can’t let that be the only reason we put effort into our costumes. Sometimes, it’s best to take a step back, relax, and fully embrace your mundanity. It’s perfectly all right to dress up as an office worker who’s trying to have a healthier work-life balance.