Team Rocket Halloween costume, Jessie & James Pokemon cosplay! Curious George, Man in Yellow Hat, Miffy costumes.
Halloween in Japan mogs! My favorite season is back, so here’s a costume inspiration post to get you in the mood.
Read on for a recap of last year’s Tokyo All Hallows Eve party, where Yukiro and I turned into Jessie and James — the Team Rocket villains (and our fav characters from Pokemon!)
This October, I cosplayed The Man (or woman?) in the Yellow Hat, with my giant 1970s Curious George monkey plush.
And I bopped around with a huge Miffy mascot at Atacz store! Keep reading for all the Halloween kawaii fun.
Prepare for trouble… And make it double! I think Yukiro Dravarious and I won at Halloween last year… We cosplayed as the villainous Team Rocket: Jessie and James from Pokemon!
Of course, Yukiro gave “Jamessss” a flamboyant lavender spin.
You can’t miss our Team Rocket reel, where we deliver the infamous catchphrases and blast off at the speed of light! Surrender now, or prepare to fight… Meowth, that’s righttt!
We did some costume customizations — making our own giant R red and white crop tops, and a Poke-ball.
Hail Team Rocket! Pretty much everyone in Tokyo knew who we were cosplaying. In the Japanese version of Pokémon, Jessie is named Musashi (ムサシ) and James is named Kojirō (コジロウ) – samurai names.
Tokyo’s Goths love spooky season, but our friends Furiosa Kolesnyk and Yukina take it to the next level at their near-annual Halloween party, where we started last year’s celebrations.
Friends in the alt, gothic drag scenes came in costumes to dish and eat sush.
So many of us crammed into their apartment’s party room — a perfect chance to catch up.
My friends from Vancouver, Sandi and Nic, showed up as kitsune (foxes).
Are you a Pokémon fan? What do you think of our Jessie and James cosplay? And yes, that’s entirely my real hair! (Got it backcombed and set with tons of hairspray in a random Tokyo salon.)
The balcony lets you look over Nishi-Shinjuku (and what a great spot for photos).
Do you recognize John Wick here? Be sure to watch our Team Rocket video, to see us delivering the famous blast off lines!
Then, we continued the festivities in Ni-chōme (Shinjuku’s LGBTQ district)… We ran into drag queen Kosmic Sans strutting in the streets.
Of course, the real party goes on outside the 2-choome 7-Eleven. If you know, you know… it’s a scream.
Then, we went to New Sazae, the legendary disco nightclub in the gay district. Much naughtiness went on that I cannot post here, but you can use your imagination!
Speaking of naughty, naughty… this year, I did a cosplay with Curious George! I suppose The Woman in the Yellow Hat picked up a companion when she was in Africa this summer… and scolded him for monkeying around and eating too many bananas.
Happy Halloween from Curious George and the Man (?) in the Yellow Hat! Monkeying around with my mom’s giant stuffed animal from the 1970s, hence his groovy orange striped shirt.
Did you read the storybooks about the inquisitive, tail-less primate when you were growing up? Watch a reel to see me telling off Curious George for being a not so good monkey!
I wonder if Miffy ever gets miffed…. It’s hard to spike your cortisol when you’re hugging a giant Miffy bunny!
The Dutch rabbit did a meet and greet at Atacz boutique Vancouver, which has a purse collaboration with her. My yellow Dick Bruna bear bag is Andres Gallardo, and my microplastics-free cotton clothing is Uniqlo.
Come see the video of me and the big Miffy bouncing to the song M to the B by Millie B!
Can you believe I’ve visited over 80 countries now? The new Miffy travel collection seems to be made for kawaii-loving jetsetters like me.
I upgraded my carry-on bag to the Miffy travel backpack. The rectangular shape and peeping bunny are adorbs, and it has many compartments and zips fully open for easy access. And I adore the orange packing cubes with gold zippers. Various-sized compression cubes are my trick for packing as many outfits as I do on my trips. Find the Miffy travel collection and more cuteness on Miffy Shop!
Fall fashion season is here: time for us Goths to shine. Some outfit inspo to get you in the mood for spooky szn.
Arena Eyewear’s Diamanta blue sunglasses are a glow-up. How dazzling are the round mirrored lenses and diamond shaped arms?
I like adding color to dark ‘fits. Lucrin Geneva‘s leather hobo shoulder bag with chain has a witchy crescent moon curve, compartments for my phone and pens, and is even large enough to fit my mirrorless camera. You can customize it in various coloured leathers: I went for smooth red calf.
Y2K denim skirt is from a Seongsu, Seoul vintage store, my evil eye jacket is from Uzbekistan, platform sneakers Reebok Club C. Photos of me here and with Curious George by Sean Lenihan.
Finally, if you dig my Goth fashion, I invite you to visit my ongoing closet sale — La Carmina @LaCarmina on Depop & Poshmark! I ship globally, and am happy to work out reductions / bundles.
I’m letting go of Gothic alt dresses, Harajuku Tokyo accessories, kawaii cute toys and more from my travels in Japan and worldwide. I ship internationally from Vancouver, Canada and would love to send you a package… please check out my shop listings and reach out if you’d like anything.
Pics from 2016 when I attended Whitby Gothic Weekend, a British Goth music and culture festival. It’s set in the seaside town where Bram Stoker wrote his famous horror novel, Dracula. In one scene, the Count climbs the stone steps to the 7th century cliffside Whitby Abbey. I simply had to put on a decadent black Victorian gown and pose amidst the Benedictine ruins, which look over the North Sea.. I think photographer Joey Wong perfectly captured the haunting feel of this Draculean destination!
I leave you with some cute Gothic pics from Tokyo Halloween last year, such as EGL witchy dresses and Nana streetwear.
For more Tokyo, Japan Halloween and Goth coverage, head to my @LaCarmina Instagram. Do you have plans for all hallows eve, and will you be dressing up or decorating?
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Tokyo Goth Halloween parties, drag queen shows, club nights! Japan yokai festival, Gothic alt cyberpunk clubs.
Looking to attend Tokyo, Japan Halloween parties and Goth clubs in October 2026? Then welcome to my coffin club… you’re in the right graveyard!
My Gothic alternative friends will be putting on tons of parties in Tokyo, Japan this spooky season, including drag shows and cyberpunk clubs. Read on for the dates and info.
Halloween is creeping around again… I won’t be in Tokyo to celebrate, but here are photos from my Japanese All Hallow’s Eve adventures last year. (I did makeup inspired by the band KISS — glam metal guitarist Ace Frehley wears this bat-like design around his eyes.)
In chronological order, here are 4 upcoming events you can’t miss in the Tokyo area:
Oct 10-12, Yokai Festival: Tokyo’s Yokai Bon Odori fest is back in Tachikawa!
Hang with Japanese folk monsters and supernatural spirits at this 3-day matsuri! Yokai-maxx with kitsune foxes, headless children, devilish oni demons, one-eyed priest Hitotsume kozō and more at Yokai Bon Odori 2026. When: Oct 10, 11, 12 Where: Green Springs 2F Plaza (3-1 Midoricho, Tachikawa City – about a 40 min train from central areas of Tokyo) More info: @yokaibonodori IG + yokaibonodori.tokyo
Oct 17, Casket of Horrors: Drag extravaganza with Yukiro (performing as Nattmara) and friends!
Japan’s alt-horror drag haus is having a space-themed show featuring intergalactic glamatrons… Tokyo’s most ghoulish drag kings, queens and everything in between will do their very best to probe your orifices!
Haus von Schwarz presents: Casket of Horrors, Kabukicho in Space – †666th Anniversary Show!!
Date: Sat, Oct 17
Place: Shinjuku Heist Club (B2, 2 Chome−25−6, Kabukicho)
Time: 7pm
Get tix from @hausvonschwarz IG or https://linktr.ee/hausvonschwarz and see my reel from last year’s Halloween drag event.
Oct 18: Midnight Mess – Cyberpunk Club in Shinjuku!
Join Mistress Maya and her fellow creatures of the night at this Goth Cyberpunk club night. You’ll be trick or treated to cyber rope installation, drag queens, and bizarre artistic performances – and dance to dark industrial techno EDM. See video from last year’s bash here.
When: Oct 18 at at Club ArcH Shinjuku. Details and pre-sale/reservation tickets at https://tiget.net/events/524439
Oct 24, 31 and more all month: Tokyo Decadance and Deca Bar
Tokyo Decadance is also having a slew of Halloween events throughout October, including a Halloween in Shibuya bash on Oct 24, and Decabar Super celebration on Halloween itself, Oct 31.
See the full calendar for Tokyo Decadance / Decabar events on their IG @decabar_official
This photo of Noveli and Lilith illustrates exactly how I felt last year after Halloween-maxxing in Tokyo! Below is a recap of the Goth alternative events and costume parties I attended last season, to give you a sense of what to expect in Oct 2026.
Yokai Bon Odori is one hell of a party. Last year, Yukiro and I yokai-maxxed with kitsune foxes, headless children, devilish oni demons, one-eyed priest Hitotsume kozō and more.
We were enthralled by the spooky vendors, artistic performances, makeup booths, and disco DJ sets.
The crowd went wild for the yokai-themed perfomers under a demonic red faced and horned oni mask!
So many fab handmade costumes, from traditional Japanese yokai folk monsters / spirits to new characters.
I was tickled to see a jiangshi or Chinese jumping ghost / zombie! He even has the yellow “sticky note” (magic Taoist spell on paper to control the dead) stuck to him.
Many of the Koenji, Tokyo yokai parade regulars were there as well.
Share this post if you’d like to join a yokai parade in Japan! (For video of the yokai parade in Koenji, see my viral video here.)
Yokai Bon Odori 2026 festival
When: Oct 10, 11, 12
Where: Green Springs 2F Plaza (3-1 Midoricho, Tachikawa City – about a 40 min train from central areas of Tokyo)
More info: @yokaibonodori + yokaibonodori.tokyo
Watch my yokai festival in Tokyo reel from last year for a sense of the electronica performers, costumes and vibe!
The Koenji yokai parade was fab too – see photos and video of the Japan yokai parade here!
Japanese folk spirits, demons, tricksters and ghouls added to the Halloween spirit by marching down the shopping street by Koenji station. Their handmade costumes of kappa, oni, kitsune and custom creatures are spooktacular. Many participants are part of the alternative/Gothic subculture in Japan & host regular yokai events.
Looking for Halloween Goth events in Tokyo? Japan’s alt-horror drag icons are back onstage on Oct 17 in Shinjuku! Join mother Yukiro Dravarious (drag queen Nattmara) and Haus von Schwarz, and get beamed up for a space-themed drag show.
Special guest Noveli will be returning — she always delivers dark and passionate performances that stay with you long afterwards.
This one was to the guttoral Latin groans of Diamanda Galas in her song Sono L’Antichristo! The cock-crucifix… yass.
Speaking of saints and sinners… Last year, we were treated to voguing by Stefani St. Slut.
Julia Your Makeup is Terrible got down in the spirit of trick or treating.
Langley Chi Chi is serving schoolgirl…
While Angel Heart is old school glam with darkness beneath!
Such a great show by Haus von Schwarz. Don’t miss them this year on Oct 17 at Shinjuku Heist club.
The devil may be lurking in the audience…
Our Goth alt subcultures crew always comes out for these drag shows.
Watch my reel from last year’s Casket of Horrors drag extravaganza for a preview of the action.
Hope you can make it to their Halloween drag performance this year!
Haus von Schwarz presents: Casket of Horrors, Kabukicho in Space – †666th Anniversary Show
Date: Sat, Oct 17
Place: Shinjuku Heist Club (B2, 2 Chome−25−6, Kabukicho)
Time: 7pm
Get tix from @hausvonschwarz IG or https://linktr.ee/hausvonschwarz
The day after, Oct 18, Mistress Maya is hosting her regular Cyberpunk Club at Club Arch. Here are images from her Midnight★Mess event last Halloween season, where I was a special guest… along with this giant dancing panda bear! Full details and tickets here.
Midnight Mess’ events are out of this world — Maya’s attention to detail has been impeccable since 2002 (it is Tokyo’s longest running Goth club).
Dance to the dark sounds of industrial, EDM, techno, new wave, Gothic and future-pop.
The bizarre performances are always to die for… last year, Duncan Whom did an unravelling dance with this spooktastic mask.
Panda-chan joined in on the dancing and musical performances.
Lily, a life-like doll, also wheeled by. She seems to be enjoying the show.
Mistress Maya did a shibari / rope tying and dom performance with whips and hot wax from candles. This year, you can watch her Cyber-rope Installation.
Gothic divas represent. See my reel from last year’s Midnight Mess Halloween bash here.
Noveli wowed the crowd with a Dia de los Muertos drag performance.
Kiki, the designer of Kikirara Shoten, brought her velvet-lined coffin for undead guests to lie in.
As Nattmara, Yukiro strutted the stage and nailed all the tricks.
The best performance of the night goes to the cleanup crew!
Gothic/Industrial club Midnight★Mess since 2002 – attend the Cyberpunk Club on Oct 18 at Club Arch Shinjuku! Full details and tickets here.
Finally, here was the scene for last year’s Tokyo Decadance Halloween.
Several floors of varying vibes, from visual kei performers to Dark Dimension’s Goth industrial tech.
Last year, the bash took place at Shinjuku Ohjo building.
Adrien le Danois, Porco and other longtime Decabar collaborators will be hosting alt events all October. The major ones are a Shibuya bash on Oct 24, and Decabar Super celebration on Halloween, Oct 31.
To see all the Tokyo Decadance / Decabar events coming up, visit their IG @decabar_official
Noveli is always giving Goth demon queen.
Mistress Maya and Ricky DJed on the Dark Dimension floor.
And DJ SiSEN held it down in another room. Love his carnival glow.
Visual Kei star Kaya (迦夜), vocalist of Schwarz Stein, dazzled us with her stage presence. Long live VK.
Candy Spooky Theater and more performed – such a throwback to my formative years in the Harajuku subculture.
Fab costumes and vendors at Tokyo Decadance Halloween.
Adrien le Danois as the ringmaster, doing some last-min fixes to the venue (talk about a haunted house).
Check out my iPhone snaps from the event with friends, as well as video clips, in my @lacarmina IG reel here.
Monstrous makeup skills! Japan remains one of the best places in the world to celebrate Halloween and do all things Goth, so I hope you’ll get to check out some of these events. (See the top of the post for what’s coming up.)
Also, sorry for the slowdown in blogs — I’ve been traveling almost nonstop since May, but I’m now back and grinding. Lots to share from my recent travels, so I promise to post more articles here soon — and you can see previews on my Instagram @LaCarmina. (I really need to catch up, as there will be some once-in-a-lifetime adventures in the next months… let’s keep the momentum going!)
LA CARMINA
