“I always feel like somebody’s watching meeeee… Who’s playing tricks on me?”

Halloween is near, and I finally feel like I’m back in my element! The summer heatwave was too long and intense for this Goth. Big sigh of relief that sweater weather has arrived.

This is the time to gather up your friends, and enjoy Halloween festivities while they last! In this story, we’ll crunch through fiery autumn leaves, and ride the Stanley Park Ghost Train. At the end, I’ll show you pumpkins, ghosts and other creepy-cuties that I photographed while in Japan. 

Nothing beats fall fashion, especially if you have Gothic inclinations. I’ve been layering with red to match the color of the changing leaves.

My “Bad Mood” top and skirt are by Morph8ne, one of my favorite designers. Based in Thailand, this dark fashion label draws influences from fairy tale villains, Gothic Lolita, punk, grunge and the 1990s (how can you go wrong with that)? I had the pleasure of visiting their design studio in Bangkok… Stay tuned for this inside look soon.

Shop Morph8ne – click below for more:

This season, I’ve also been wearing my new gold bee pendant by Stephen Einhorn. The British fine jewelry designer is celebrated for his contemporary designs, which stand out for their edge and charm.

I was delighted to receive a package from his London studio, lovingly wrapped with ribbon and a wax seal. The box opens up… to reveal an intricately hand-crafted bumblebee!

Perched on manuka honey beeswax, doesn’t it look like this cute creature is ready to take flight? Stephen Einhorn’s pendants can be purchased alone, or with a matching chain. (I put my bee on my mom’s gold necklace from the 1960s.)

All of these creations are made by hand in his London workshop. As you can see from his site, Stephen Einhorn has designs that cater to every personality: dogs of all breeds, minimal disks, lockets, birds in flight, and even vampire fangs and skulls.

I love how the design catches the eye, yet is subtle enough to wear with all types of outfits. Here’s one way to style the bumblebee: layered with other gold necklaces or chokers of different lengths.

(I styled mine with this Nellie dress by The Reformation. More from the sustainable designer below:)

This charm is simply the bees’ knees. A close-up reveals the solid luxurious gold and fine etchings that give the insect character.

Perhaps you have seen Stephen Einhorn’s designs in your favorite movies. He made Lara Croft’s necklace in the latest Tomb Raider, a medieval necklace for the evil queen in Snow White and the Huntsman, and Johnny Depp’s vampire ring in Dark Shadows!

I always prefer to support independent designers like Stephen Einhorn. He makes unique rings, bracelets, necklaces and charms for both men and women, in an impressive array of styles from heavy metal to Art Deco.

I took my bee pendant out to the forest, along with new clothes from my recent travels in Asia. My Miffy daruma dangle is from the Tokyo Station “Miffy Style” store (soon, I’ll give you a full tour of the cute “character street”).

The sweatshirt and miniskirt are from the new BadMood collection by Morph8ne — isn’t the emo-face adorable?

(For more designs by Morph8ne, click the below images:)

My friends and I went to the Stanley Park Ghost Train in Vancouver, BC. Every October, the miniature rail takes visitors through the dark forest, where they encounter all sorts of supernatural beings.

The theme changes each time (once it was classic movie monsters, another time it was Day of the Dead). This year, the ride is about Jack O’Lantern’s Journey Through the Dark Forest: a mystical world encompassing the legends of Halloween and Harvest.

In addition to the Ghost Train, Stanley Park has a Halloween-themed event area. Although we all have a 😐 facial expression (including my shirt and the pumpkin-headed scarecrow!), these displays were not in the least bit disappointing.  There was a haunted maze, a pumpkin patch, taxidermy, face painting, and all types of festival food for sale including healthy options.

Visitors can purchase tickets to the Stanley Park Ghost Train at the entrance, but I recommend booking a time slot online in advance, as the popular hours can sell out. The train runs throughout most of the day, but it’s better to go after sunset. From 6:30pm onward, the ride features live actors in the woods — something that should not be missed.

We got there in the late afternoon so that we’d have time to walk around Stanley Park, and take photos.

I’m holding a vegan leather luxury bag by Erbert Chong. Love the faux fur accent, and the large carry-all size is perfect for holding a DSLR camera and winter accessories.

My dark red knee boots are these exact After Hour boots by Sorel.  The round metal sunglasses are Edwardson Eyewear.

Top and skirt by Morph8ne – see below for more from this designer.

Here’s another way to wear Stephen Einhorn’s bee jewellery. The silhouette stands out against a black high neck or turtleneck top.

His bumblebee charm necklace can be ordered in a variety of solid precious metals at different karats — including sterling silver, rose gold, platinum, white gold. I chose yellow gold since it seemed most befitting for a bee. Stephens’s studio also makes custom, bespoke designs for clients.

If you come to Vancouver, you must see the beloved Stanley Park: a 405-hectare public space in city’s downtown, surrounded by the harbour and English Bay. You’ll feel as if you’re in a storybook forest as you wander amidst the towering trees. Some of Stanley Park’s attractions include native totem poles, Lost Lagoon, a tea house, rose garden and more.

Around nightfall, the park feels especially “Halloween” — with dead leaves on the ground, and an eerie fog over the horizon.

I felt like a kid, crunching through the layers of red and orange maple leaves. (We tried to take some photos tossing the leaves in the air, but they didn’t quite turn out right. At least we got some lens flare…)

At sunset, we headed back to the Ghost Train as it was time to board.

The line leads to a miniature train (you really have to squish to sit in it!). Once you pass through the devilish ram’s mouth, the ride is about 15 minutes long, and winds through the deep woods. 

Along the way, you’ll see scenes featuring the undead Jack O’Lantern and other creatures. The train slows so that you can take in live performances set in this mysterious Celtic Hallowe’en world, where nothing is quite what it seems.

This year, the lighting effects and art direction were impressive. The Ghost Train takes you through sinister vignettes that gets your imagination flowing —  such as floating druids over water, and these cult-like figures hovering over lit candles.  

Don’t expect jump scares, or monsters attacking you along the way. This isn’t a cheesy plastic haunted house.

Instead, you’re presented with dark, fantastical beings that transform in ways that will astonish you. As Rob put it, “It reminded me of Sleepy Hollow, mixed with The Witch and The Wicker Man.”

Someone’s about to pop out of the witch’s cauldron… but I won’t spoil the surprise.

(Funny story: there was a scene where a crowd was leading Pumpkinhead Jack up a staircase. This reminded me of the movie Apocalypto, so I wondered out loud: “Are they going to cut off his head and throw it down the stairs?” The kids on the ride heard me and screamed “Nooo, nooo! They’re crowning him as the king! He’s happy!” Sigh, leave it to me to traumatize the children wherever I go…)

The Ghost Train in Stanley Park is running until November 1st. It’s the perfect way for people of all ages get into the Halloween spirit.

Have any of you gotten pumpkins this year? Here are the bizarre pumpkins and gourds I picked up, next to my Miffy lamp.

I’ll leave you with photos of Japanese Halloween decorations, toys and treats. You may recall that I was in Tokyo this September, which gave me a chance to take these seasonal snaps.

Japan’s department stores always carry beautifully packaged sweets, which change depending on the time of year and occasion. Right now, you can choose: Trick or Yokumoku? (Inside the pumpkin and bat boxes are Yoku Moku’s all-natural butter cookies.)

Although the Jack-O-Lantern face is cute, a Tokyo Banana Raisin dessert doesn’t sound very appetizing to me…

At Daiso, the 100 yen store, you can pick up tons of cute Halloween decorations for low prices. Many of my friends stock up on stickers and decor to use year-round.

I’ll soon do a full post about Tokyo Station Character Street, but here’s a preview. The Rilakkuma store had limited edition Halloween stuffed toys when I visited.

In the Pokemon shop, I came across Mimikyu — the ghost-like monster that hides under a Pikachu disguise!

With packaging like this, it’s tempting to buy everything Halloween-themed in Japan…

At Don Quixote and grocery stores, you can find candy with happy ghosts, Jack Skellington, and other spooks.

Did you enjoy this look at Halloween in Japan? For more, see my previous stories about Tokyo Halloween-themed food and Tokyo costumes and makeup.

This is the best time of the year to shop for Gothic fashion, as many designers release spooky designs for the season. Here are three of my favorites (click for details)

❤ Skeleton crop sweatshirt  ❤ Smiling pumpkin top ❤ The Craft t-shirt dress

Or how about a group costume for trick-or-treating this year? Find tons of Goth / devilish Halloween costumes here, including the skeleton suits and Satanic cheer-leading outfits above!

Despite the neutral face, I’m smiling wide inside… so happy it’s Halloween! Do you have plans for celebrating this year?