Osaka, Japan Gothic stores! Satanic Territory occult & witchcraft shop, Japanese tattoos, pentagram fashion.
“Today is enjoy!” Since it’s still spooky season, I thought I’d release an updated guide to the Gothic and underground shops of Osaka, Japan.
The red pentagram hints at the theme of today’s post. We’ll delve into the Kansai Goth, occult and Satanic scene…
… including exclusive photos of Territory, the devilish lair of Taiki-san. Read on for Osaka tattoos, taxidermy and absinthe as well!
I thought I’d include these purikura (sticker machine) photos from Tokyo as well, since there are quite a few devil horns and pentagrams. Doing purikura with friends is a must when you’re in Japan. You’ll wind up with ridiculous sticker images (often with bizarre English) that you can decorate before printing out.
Outfit details: I’m wearing Killstar leggings and a top from Dead Gallery Iceland, by artist Jon Saemunder Audarson.
There are “sticker picture” photobooths around the world, but the most high-tech and bizarre ones are only in Japan. Go to any game center, such as Taito in Shinjuku, and you’ll find a handful or more “purikura” machines to pick from (as well as games galore).
Japanese purikura (short for “print club”) turns you into a big-eyed, stretch-limbed being. You can choose from all sorts of frames and effects, and digitally decorate the photos.
I especially love to do purikura around Halloween, since they release seasonal stickers (like the ghosts and pentagram stars above).
After posing for about six photos, you can choose your favorites and decorate them side-by-side with your friend. There’s a digital pen that you can use to select various borders, stickers, text and effects (such as changing your hair color).
Purikura decorating is an art form — you want to achieve the perfect balance of ridiculous-ness in the image, without cluttering it up! I think Kanae and I did a pretty good job with these ones.
In the old days, you had to use scissors to carefully cut up and divide the purikura prints. Now, you can choose to print out two copies, as well as send the images to your phone or email. What a world we live in!
And now, let’s dive into the Osaka underworld. Most of the alternative / Gothic / underground shops are in the America Mura district — including this self-described lair of Satanism and Witchcraft, Territory.
The entrance cautions you to Beware. Only those with dark souls dare to cross this gate, guarded by skulls and other deathly figures.
On the Territory signboard, you’ll notice the Latin words “Non Serviam,” or “I will not serve”. The phrase is generally attributed to Lucifer, and sums up the powerful spirit of this establishment.
Since 1996, Taiki’s Territory has garnered a devout underground following. Territory is well hidden, and not even many locals know about its existence. Go down to the basement level, and wander around until you find these skeletons and demons.
Address: 2 Chome-8-33 Nishishinsaibashi, Osaka Center Building B1, Chuo Ward, Osaka, Japan.
I visited Territory’s mastermind, Taiki-san, with Dr. John M. Skutlin (cultural anthropologist and Japan specialist, who writes about subculture and tattoos in Japan). He shares Taiki’s story in this special report.
“The founder of Osaka’s Gothic underground event scene, it is said that Taiki gained his Satanic pedigree in 1996 when he visited New York City and studied the dark arts at a certain occult shop. He returned to Japan in the same year and opened his own shop of occult and Satanic antiques and merchandise – Territory.”
“Meeting with Goth and occult luminaries on the scene like Voltaire and Paul Booth, he eventually became something of a regular in the New York’s Goth music scene during his frequent trips from Japan. This experienced helped inspire him to open his own Gothic music bar – the first of its kind in Japan – called Sabbat on Friday the 13th of October 1999.”
“Taiki began organizing Gothic events for the dark underground of Osaka around the turn of the millennium, including parties like Devil’s Christmas and later the long running Black Veil. His gatherings became yearly highlights that drew guests not only from Tokyo and other cities in Japan, but also from abroad. His events have featured major acts in the EBM and dark electro scenes such as Hocico and Combichrist’s Andy LePlegua.”
“While Bar Sabbat is no longer serving alcohol, his Satanic shop Territory is open for business in Osaka’s Shinsaibashi district, and Black Veil draws Goths from the dark corners of Japan three times a year around Walpurgis Eve, Halloween, and New Year’s Eve.”
Taiki-san usually does not permit photography inside his spiritual shop, but made an exception for us. Taiki has a powerful presence, and surrounds himself with dark talismans. When you speak with him, you feel as if you’re in the presence of a wizard.
Territory is not a Halloween kitsch shop. Everything here is of exquisite quality: dark art sourced from around the world, many with frightening backgrounds attached to them.
You can spend hours looking at all the small details within this museum collection (as not all items are for sale).
Taiki has a knack for finding works that seem to possess a malevolent spirit. Whether antique or new, these collections convey a sense of death and unease — which Goths like us find fascinating.
Of course, there is plenty of Satanic iconography. The horned one sits next to a Iron Maiden torture device, while a witch baby doll looms in the shadows.
Many items pay homage to Japanese “yōkai,” or monsters and demons in Japanese folklore. However, Taiki has items from around the world, especially relics from Germany and Europe.
In addition to taxidermy and human skulls, Territory carries clothing and home items with the mark of the devil. I picked up a tote bag with the Church of Satan symbol.
You’ll either feel appalled by Taiki’s Territory, or eager to visit (and I hope you’re in the second category!) If you aren’t going to be in Osaka any time soon, you can also order items from his shop online.
In the same building is Fog, an absinthe bar that Taiki-san frequents. My friends and I adore drinking absinthe, and Fog has some of the finest bottles of “green fairy” from around the world.
Fog even carries several of the HR Giger absinthes, named after the Alien art designer (I’m so excited to visit the Giger bar in Gruyeres, Switzerland). We tried the H. R. Giger Wolfsmilch and Absinthe Brevans; the latter is named for Jacques de Brevans, author of a classic French liquor-maker’s manual.
The bartender can help you choose from over 20 kinds of absinthe. He can suggest the best way to drink it (straight, on the rocks, or using the classic water drip over a flaming sugar cube). The bar carries other types of alcohol as well, and does cocktails.
Fog is dimly lit, and until my eyes adjusted, I didn’t realize it was filled with watchful creatures. There was a real owl in one corner, which I thought was stuffed at first.
The walls are mounted with butterflies and insect specimens, as well as creepy deer heads in serial killer masks.
Fog Absinthe Bar’s address is the same as Territory’s; both are in the maze-like lower level of Osaka Center Building.
Address: 2 Chome-8-33 Nishishinsaibashi, basement level, Chuo Ward, Osaka
We also stopped by Bleeding Maria, a special place protected by witches. (Address: 2-18-6 Shinsaibashi, 5th floor – it’s in a Americamura building with an elevator, filled with small shops).
Yukiro and I visited Bleeding Maria many years ago. This time, the witches had flown and we weren’t able to go inside.
I encourage you to drop by this unusual establishment of witchcraft, runes and fortune-telling. The owner, Kaori, speaks English and German very well — so you can visit even if you don’t know Japanese. Perhaps you’ll have a chance to hang out in this spiritual haven, and meet her pet tarantula.
If the words “Painful Pleasures” appeal to you, then you’ve got to visit Babylon. The name hints that this is not just a piercing / body art studio. There are twisted cultural and anthropological treasures to be found within.
Address: 1-16-7 Nishi Shinsaibashi, Osaka
John sets the scene in this report: “Stepping into Babylon Body Art’s Osaka, which started off more than a decade ago as a bar in a different location, one is surrounded by stuffed and mounted animals and various taxidermic specimens. Shelves are filled to capacity with rare and unusual books in both Japanese and English, on subjects ranging from anatomy and zoology to bestiality and methods of execution.”
“The glass cases are full of piercings from brands like Anatometal and Maya Jewelry. On the television, one can expect to find any number of macabre and unusual videos, such as the gruesome scenes of a VHS copy of the infamous Faces of Death shockumentary (directed by Conan LeCilaire, 1978).”
“The owner, Bonzin, admittedly revels in his own self-professed “bad taste.” Covered in tattoos (including a full back piece of the Senju Kannon bodhisattva) and sporting multiple implants (both subdermal and transdermal), he is not only a piercer but also a popular artist and DJ at Goth events, and has organized all of the major suspension performances in Kansai.”
“Bonzin sees his own body as a work of art, explaining he was initially inspired to modify his body in more extreme ways after seeing the decidedly Cronenbergian cyberpunk film Tetsuo: The Iron Man (Tsukamoto Shinya, 1989). He claims to have transformed into the “Iron Man” that he set out to become.”
I like how Babylon’s displays have a sense of absurd humor. The seal on a swing looks happy to be bopping noses with a piglet, while an armadillo crouches behind.
This skeleton models a cyber apocalyptic gasmask, wedged between two glass cases.
How kawaii are the stuffed mice, with gems for eyes and black ram horns coming out of their foreheads? Babylon is quite the kingdom of dark delights.
Next, we paid a visit to Horitsuna, the revered tattoo artist at Desperado studio. (Center Bldg 6F, 2-10-29, Nishi-
Horitsuna is self-taught, and specializes not only in Japanese wabori designs, but also tribal and other styles. Above are some design mock-ups featuring devils and daruma.
John has interviewed Horitsuna extensively for his scholarly work, and explains, “He uniquely incorporates Japanese tattoo design elements like gakubori (background designs, such as waves, clouds, or fire, connecting motifs into a larger piece) with more Western design elements, including grotesque and occult themes.”
In a country where tattooing is heavily regulated, Horitsuna is one of Japan’s most prominent tattoo artists and owns two studios. He regularly attends the Hong Kong International Tattoo Convention, and has won awards at conventions in Japan, Thailand, France, and Finland.
All of these underground stores are found in Amerikamura or Ame-Mura (America Village). This remains the best neighborhood in Osaka to see Gothic, Lolita, Punk and alternative street style, including indie boutiques — a sort of equivalent to Harajuku in Tokyo.
To get to this Osaka youth district, take the subway to Shinsaibashi station, and then wander around. The shops change around all the time, and the district is not large, so it’s best to simply spend time here and see what you find.
There’s a great mix of vintage and new street style in Amerika Mura. This time around, I spotted a whole lot of pentagrams / Satanic stars….
This top like Miffy the bunny, with a similar X mouth. How funny to see her with bat wings, inside the star of the devil, yet in soft pastel colors! (I always knew Miffy had an evil side.)
Goth pastel Lolita meets horror Japanese fashion? Osaka’s Big Step department store has all your favorite EGL brands (Alice and the Pirates, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Kera, Miho Matsuda).
The Magic Amulet collection from Angelic Pretty has several types of pointed stars on its JSK prints.
Funny to see the Jewish Star of David… all over Japanese Gothic accessories! Perhaps the designers merely like the look of the six-pointed star.
Spooky Goth meets Seinfeld… now that’s a Japanese street style I never thought I’d see!
The devil is everywhere in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. I passed by the 666 store, on the way to Closet Child (the secondhand chain also found in Tokyo).
Theme restaurants abound as well. Here’s the entrance to Alucard, a vampire themed restaurant that is now closed (I guess they were a bit too successful at banishing vampires with wooden stakes). However, you can still visit the Tokyo Vampire cafe.
John introduced me to Cafe Anamune, a medical themed cafe run by locals. I love the laid-back feeling of this little place, which has flasks and zombie nurses lurking around. Order the simple yet lovely Japanese curry, and enjoy the atmosphere.
Anamune Cafe address: 1-8-16 Nakanishi Building 501, Nishishinsaibashi, Osaka.
Osaka’s Americamura / Shinsaibashi area is a district filled with funky art, alt culture and inspiration. Such as the Alice on Wednesday shop, which is dedicated to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. If you figure out the correct door and hidden keyholes, you’ll enter a boutique with a Queen of Hearts throne room, Mad Hatter party and more — selling everything from Eat Me candies to clocks.
Alice on Wednesday is found at 2-12-25 Asahi Plaza Shinsaibashi, Osaka
I leave you with this subway poster featuring Miffy the bunny, peeking out passengers! Huge thanks to JR Pass for making this Japan trip a reality.
I was able to travel seamlessly by train, from Tokyo to Osaka and other cities, using an unlimited Japan Rail Pass. Find out more about these rail passes on their site, and in my travel video.
I hope you enjoyed our funny purikura escapades as well! If you’re in Japan, taking “print club” sticker photos is an absolute must.
For more offbeat travel stories from Japan, come browse my Tokyo blog category. There are tips for theme restaurants, underground shops and more, from 2007 to today. Here’s to more Gothic Japanese adventures soon!
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Mutter Museum in Philadelphia review: Gothic skulls & medical curiosities! Philly Goth travel guide.
Welcome to Goth heaven… oh so many skulls! (I think I’m checking my head to make sure it’s still there.)
I recently ticked another Gothic destination off the bucket-list: Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum. This is one of the world’s most renown medical museums; a mesmerising collection of bodily oddities, pathological specimens, wax models, and unusual skeletons.
To get to Philly, I traveled from NYC by bus. It was an easy journey thanks to booking website Busbud, which lets you search for bus routes and compare prices/times/info in thousands of cities worldwide.
My bus ride was only two hours long, and took me to/from convenient downtown districts (meaning I could avoid long journeys to airports or train stations, and waiting times). Busbud turned out to be an affordable and sustainable way to travel like a local, which I’m all about.
Here I am in front of the Mutter Museum, psyched to see the “Disturbingly Informative” exhibitions. To match the occasion, I wore my skull-printed Gladnews dress, a Disturbia bomber jacket, and Gal Stern Luxury Tights with gold skulls over the knees. (Photography by Ashley Yuen and me.)
(Shop more styles from Disturbia below, with a click):
The museum is part of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, a non-profit institution that promotes both the heritage and future of health and medicine. The College was founded in 1787, is one of the oldest professional medical organizations in America.
The man behind the name is Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter. He convinced the College to establish this educational museum, and donated the original collection in 1858.
Fun fact: Dr Mütter added the umlaut (ü) to his name after his travels in Europe! On a more serious note, he pioneered many important innovations in surgery. The doctor made significant advances in plastic surgery, insisted on cleanliness in a time before germ theory was recognised, and emphasized pre and post-patient care.
Dr. Mutter believed in the advancement of biomedical research, and wanted a place to share the 1700 medical samples he preserved over the years. Today, the Mütter Museum’s collection has grown to more than 25,000 items that help the public understand “the mysteries and beauty of the human body, and appreciate the history of diagnosis and treatment of disease.”
These curiosities include over 3000 osteological specimens, including these “skeletons in the cabinet” and a spinal segment of John Wilkes Booth (the murderer of President Abraham Lincoln).
Goths will adore the Hyrtl Skull Collection: there’s an entire wall that displays 139 human skulls! Joseph Hyrtl, a 19th century Austrian anatomist, put together this collection to show the diversity of cranial anatomy among various European groups.
Each of the bony rictuses seems to have a different personality. My personal favorite was the jolly-looking toothless skull of Geza Uirmeny, who “lived to 80 without melancholy.” He happens to be from Hungary or Romania, the country of Count Dracula.
Many of the skulls are inscribed with comments about the person’s age, place of origin and cause of death. The cards also convey this information (“Saxon, from Transylvania.”) Hyrtl built this collection to show the variations among Caucasians in Europe, in rebuttal to the claims of phrenologists (who believed race and intelligence/personality caused anatomical differences).
I adored the Mütter Museum’s classic setting, which resembles a 19th century “cabinet of curiosities.”
The specimens can be on the morbid side, such as depictions of skin diseases, and preserved fetuses with deformities in jars. However, I found these displays fascinating, as I love seeing the “beauty in the grotesque.” I’d say the Mutter is the perfect museum for travelers who gravitate to unusual, alternative attractions.
I can’t measure up to “The Mütter American Giant,” who looms over me at 7 feet 6 inches and is the tallest human skeleton on exhibit in North America.
Quite the size disparity between him and the 3 foot six dwarf skeleton on the right, which belonged to Mary Ashberry.
So interesting to see how various illnesses and trauma manifest on the human anatomy. From dental patterns to healed fractures, there’s a lot you can tell from a person’s bones.
Not everything is caused by genetics, injury or disease. Some of these “body modifications” are self-inflicted for various reasons, such as for the sake of beauty! On the right, you can see a regular ribcage compared to one that was narrowed by wearing a corset. The Mutter Museum also had preserved skin samples that show tattooing from the past.
One the museum highlights is a plaster cast of Chang and Eng, conjoined twins who were born in Thailand in 1811 (hence the term “Siamese Twins.”) They came to the US in 1829, and attracted large audiences as touring “freakshow” performers. The twins married sisters who later got into a fight — so the brothers spent three days at one wife’s home, then three days at the other’s!
Chang and Eng were joined at the sternum and had a fused liver, which is on display at the Mutter. Chang had a stroke and drank heavily, so his liver was large and deformed. He died after suffering a fall and bronchitis, and his brother followed three hours later.
Another famous resident of the Mutter is The Soap Lady, on the right. She’s encased in adipocere, an unusual fatty substance that formed because her burial environment was alkaline, warm, and airless.
The museum conveys medical information in different formats: photography, wax moulages, old illustrations, and even an interactive video re-enactment of a Civil War era amputation.
Many come to see the articulated skeleton of Harry Raymond Eastlack (left photo). He suffered from fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, a rare condition that affects the bone repair process, and slowly turns healthy muscle and tissues into bone. By his mid-20s, his vertebra had fused together, and he was locked in this position. When he died days before his 40th birthday, his body had completely ossified.
Behold… the Mega Colon. This gigantic tract belonged to a 29-year-old man who suffered from Hirschsprung’s Disease. The nerve supply to part of his large intestine was damaged, making it extremely difficult to pass waste (he would be constipated for a month or more). As his condition worsened, the abdomen and colon swelled enormously, sadly leading to his death. Upon autopsy, the colon was 8 feet long and contained 40 pounds of feces!
The exhibition visuals may be intense for some visitors, but I thought they were engrossing examples of pathology, intersected with history and culture. For example, above is a re-enactment of a prehistoric burial ground.
I’ve only shown you a small cross-section of the displays. You’ll have to come for yourself to see pieces of Albert Einstein’s unusual brain, a cephalothoracopagus (fetus skeleton with one head and two bodies), a jar filled with skin pickings (caused by mental illness), tribal shrunken heads, and a lady with what seemed to be a unicorn horn protruding from her forehead! (It’s actually a keratinous skin tumor that takes on the appearance of a horn.)
Philly’s College of Physicians is also home to the impressive Historical Medical Library. The shelves hold comprehensive journals from past centuries, and more than 400 incunables (books printed before the year 1500).
It’s also possible to rent out the stately halls and rooms, for special events. I pretended to be a doctor, giving a powerful speech at this Gothic-looking podium.
The Mütter also has spaces for rotating exhibits relating to the theme of the museum. I enjoyed Lisa Nilsson’s “Connective Tissue” — contemporary works that use ornate quilled paper to create anatomical cross-sections.
In addition, you can come to the museum for special events including talks, film screenings (like “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”), and an upcoming Halloween jazz speakeasy ball.
In my first travel diary about Philly, I took you to the Magic Gardens. I discovered yet another magical green space, at the Mutter Museum. (Photography by Ashley Yuen.)
This is the Benjamin Rush Medicinal Plant Garden, named after the Philadelphia colonial doctor and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Rush helped found The College of Physicians in 1787, and wanted to establish a medicinal garden for natural healing ingredients.
His dream didn’t come to realization until 1937, when the Mutter celebrated its 150th anniversary. Today, the Rush Garden has more than sixty different kinds of medicinal herbs, which give off a fresh scent as you walk through.
(The courtyard adjoins the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, pictured behind me.)
Don’t leave without a trip to the gift shop — it’s fantastic for those with a slightly morbid sense of humor! I picked up these two umlaut “mügs”, and squeezed a cute plush version of the megacolon. (You can also order items from the Mutter Museum online store.)
Above is a close-up of my Morbid Debutante necklace by Alex Streeter Jewelry. The white shell pearls and skull are the definition of Gothic elegance.
A deep bow to the Mütter Museum for inviting us to visit, and letting us take these exclusive photos! (Photography is not allowed inside the museum under regular circumstances, so this was a real treat.)
If you are visiting Philadelphia, this is a one-of-a-kind medical museum that can’t be missed. Check out the latest information on the Mütter website including admission fees, tickets, opening hours, special events and more.
I’ll end with some bonus Gothic coverage from my Busbud trip. First, a shout-out to the food scene in Philadelphia — everything I ate here was terrific! For those with a sweet tooth, I recommend Franklin Ice Cream (I had the black raspberry), and The Bakeshop in Rittenhouse Square (the ricotta scone with rainbow sprinkles is addictive).
If you’re looking for Goth and alternative shops in the city, there are quite a few choices. I loved browsing at Ritual Ritual; a boutique filled with occult / nature wonders like tarot card art and plants.
Ritual Ritual has a magnificent selection of artisan, local, handmade jewelry. They carry accessories by 60 independent designers from all over the county.
Many of the designs have dark, edgy themes that caught my attention. I see the devil…
… and skull-shaped planters and flasks.
“Rebels & mystics” describes this Philly boutique well.
These stories wouldn’t have been possible without Busbud, an innovative website that makes booking bus tickets a breeze. I could see all my routes and options for Philly-NY within seconds — saving me the time and stress of going through multiple bus sites.
Did you know of these alternative attractions in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania? PS, if you missed my first story, check it out: it’s about Philly’s Magic Gardens.
LA CARMINA
