Tokyo's Shibuya district attracted a larger Halloween crowd than last year on Thursday night, despite calls by the ward office for people not to visit. Many foreign nationals in costumes also partied in neighboring Shinjuku.

The Shibuya Ward office was concerned that large crowds could lead to stampedes and trouble involving alcohol. For the second year in a row, the office urged people not to come to Shibuya Station for Halloween.

However, police say many young people, and foreigners, in costumes gathered at the station's famous scramble crossing and a nearby shopping street, despite traffic restrictions.

Crowds were also seen getting stalled on a footbridge, with some climbing on the railing of the stairs.

The ward office says 18,000 people were near Shibuya Station when the crowd peaked at 10 p.m. -- about 20 percent more than last year.

It says about 200 people breached the ward's ban on street drinking, down nearly 100 from last year.

Shibuya Ward Mayor Hasebe Ken said no major accidents or trouble appears to have occurred thanks to the drinking ban. He said the big difference from last year was that most of the costumed revelers were foreign nationals.

In neighboring Shinjuku Ward, a large number of costumed foreigners also caused a commotion in the Kabukicho entertainment district.

Hasebe, the Shibuya Mayor, said ward offices alone cannot handle the situation. He said they need to cooperate with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the central government in dealing with problems associated with a surge in the number of foreign tourists.