Jasmina Mitrovic

Halloween has come a long way from its origins in ancient Celtic harvest festivals. These days it's more about looking as OTT as possible, a custom that was popularised in the US in the early 1900s. In Japan, too, there is none of the doom and gloom of the holiday's historical association with death, which may have something to do with the fact that the local celebration first made waves at Tokyo Disneyland. We're looking forward to a series of Halloween events on October 31, as well as the days leading up to it. Whatever you decide, don't let your costume go to waste – dress up for some of Tokyo's most spectacular Halloween parties. RECOMMENDED: 6 best Halloween events at theme parks in Japan

Within a few hours of Tokyo, there’s a handful of places that feel almost as though they’ve been pulled from a survival-horror game: crumbling roadside museums full of dolls, train stations that sink into the earth, temples guarded by disembodied hands, and uncanny sculpture parks. Halloween doesn’t have to mean fishnets and tequila shots. You can get in the spirit by doing what Japan does best – leaning into quiet dread. A kind of slow, creeping unease that seeps in while you’re standing alone in a tunnel or staring at a field of stone faces that all seem to be watching you. Think of it as celebrating Halloween like you’re the main character in your own horror RPG.RECOMMENDED: 6 best Halloween events at theme parks in Japan

Halloween in Tokyo has come a long way from its cute, imported origins. What began as a marketing stunt at Harajuku’s Kiddy Land and then became an excuse for themed lessons and candy in Eikaiwa classrooms has evolved into an all-night costume arms race. Following the trick-or-treat to thirst-trap pipeline, Halloween in Japan is now, like everywhere else, the kind of day where someone’s glued a latex horn to their forehead and another’s wearing a ¥200,000 catsuit – albeit for the runways of Shibuya Crossing. Some make theirs from scratch, others rely on Daiso, but you can count on every look being a mix of hilarious, horny and weirdly professional. This is, after all, one of the world’s cosplay capitals. Tokyo does Halloween like it does everything else: with too much detail, a bit of fetish, and a sense of hum. RECOMMENDED: 4 best stores in Tokyo for vintage anime T-shirts  

Tokyo’s nights never sit still. One day it’s a fashion pop-up with free drinks, the next it’s a basement rave that feels like it might not end until the lights come on. The city’s nightlife is messy, stylish and impossible to keep up with, but that’s part of the pull. Every weekend there’s another room packed with fashion kids, DJs, and strangers you only think you’ll never see again. So forget the konbini beers – there’s too much happening out there. Club nights, live shows, art parties, collaborations that only last a few hours before they disappear into memory. It’s sweaty, chaotic, and can sometimes be overwhelming, but always worth leaving your comfort zone for. This list is your shortcut: the events that matter right now, the ones you’ll regret missing when everyone else is talking about them on Monday.RECOMMENDED: Your ultimate round-the-clock guide to the capital

We don’t encourage smoking – let’s get that out of the way. But like with wine or whiskey, vices deserve a proper setting. If you’re going to light up, you should at least do it somewhere with soul. Think of this list as your map to those increasingly rare corners of Tokyo where the cigarette hasn’t been fully exiled. And if you’re smoke-free? You can consider it a warning of which doors not to walk through. Tokyo is a place where nostalgia clings like cigarette haze to the wood of Showa-era counters. Imagine to yourself: a lone salaryman pushes into a tiny izakaya, suit dripping from the storms of typhoon season, umbrella shaking off the gutter’s downpour. He orders a beer, slides a Marlboro from the pack, and leans into the warm chaos of the crowd. That’s the world we’re chasing here – kissaten with nicotine-stained walls, bars where the ashtrays come complimentary, izakayas where the smoke curls into the paper lantern light. It’s less about the cigarette itself and more about atmosphere: dim wood counters, flickering lanterns, and the low buzz of conversations that never seem to end. These places carry the romance of another time, when smoke was a part of the architecture of a night out.
 Just like everywhere else in the world, Tokyo’s relationship with smoking is changing fast, with non-smoking areas and establishments multiplying each year. But for those who still seek that cinematic drag, these spots remain. Step inside, order something strong, and let the smoke hang he

A true cultural phenomenon in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Ai Yazawa’s manga built a universe where fashion is a second language and heartbreak is always waiting just past the train tracks. Nana, Paradise Kiss and Neighborhood Story captured Tokyo in a way that made every café, side street and cigarette feel cinematic. Yazawa’s characters drift between joy and despair, dressed in Vivienne tartan and strawberry-pink frills, moving through the city with the kind of style that makes even loneliness look iconic. The stories remain unfinished on the page, but Tokyo itself still holds fragments of Yazawa’s world. Some of these places are semi-official ‘pilgrimage’ spots, others just feel uncannily like her panels come to life. For anyone still chasing that Yazawa mood – whether you’re a devoted fan of Nana or simply drawn to her sharp take on youth and fashion – these six locations will pull you right into the frame.RECOMMENDED: The coolest neighbourhoods in Tokyo

Pat Market is one of Harajuku’s most iconic select and archive stores, known for shaping how Tokyo’s youth actually dress. Their Ikebukuro location focuses on womenswear – a curated mix that spans Tokyo girl, e-girl, cyber girl, hime gyaru and a touch of punk attitude. For two days, they’re turning the space into a flea market, bringing some of the city’s best-dressed girls to sell from their own closets. Expect racks packed with individuality and the kind of finds that disappear in minutes.

Curry Up is Ura-Hara legend Nigo’s curry shop, blending Japanese comfort food with the clean design and street sensibility that runs through everything he touches. It’s casual but unmistakably Human Made. To celebrate the opening of its new Shibuya Parco location which will be the only location to serve a pork-katsu dish, Curry Up is throwing a three day pop-up shop at the new venue. The pop up will feature an exclusive lineup of collab items produced between Human Made, Curry Up and the graphic artist Verdy guests can try the shop’s four curry styles before the official launch. Expect a crowd that’s there for both the food and the scene – simple, fun, and very Tokyo.

Part gig, part flea market, Spa of Evil is a yearly drop-in for anyone orbiting Tokyo’s punk, noise and chaos-adjacent scenes. A mix of bands, DJs, underground brands and general unhinged energy, the event skips polish in favour of raw attitude. Whether you're there to buy some alternative threads, see someone scream into a mic or just stare at the crowd, Spa of Evil continues to be one of the only places where all that happens at once.

Japan’s relationship with tattoos has always been an interesting one. Both hailed and hated, tattoos sit in a strange middle ground here – celebrated for their artistry yet still carrying the residue of taboo. With a younger generation growing up on street culture and global references, that perception is slowly changing. More and more Gen Z Japanese are getting inked, and the city is turning out a new wave of artists working across every style imaginable – not just irezumi, the traditional Japanese form, but blackwork, realism, colour, and experimental hybrids that don’t belong to any school. The Tokyo Bay Tattoo Festival returns this year for its second edition in Kisarazu, Chiba. The international tattoo convention brings together artists from Japan and abroad across a range of genres and styles, showcasing their work live over three days. Visitors can watch tattoos being done on the spot, book sessions directly with artists and experience the craftsmanship up close. Beyond tattooing, there’s music, dance performances, contests and installations that tie the event closer to Japan’s broader art and nightlife scene. It’s not just for tattoo enthusiasts – anyone interested in art, culture or body expression will find something to connect with.

Amorphia Tokyo teams up with illustrators Naka Renya and Qingyi for Mountain Fortress at Such As Gallery in Shimokitazawa. Amorphia keeps to its precise, conceptual approach to clothing. Naka’s visuals hit like the internet mid-glitch – bright, saturated, full of chaos – while Qingyi works in saturated, surreal digital imagery that bends form and space. The show includes a small capsule of shirts, caps and bags printed with new artwork made for the exhibition, shown alongside the original pieces in the same room. Everything is made to order and available only during the run.

Ran by the same group as Maboroshi Hakurankai, ‘The Suspicious Boys and Girls Museum’ is the former’s more mischievous but well kept-sibling. It’s stuffed with uncanny childhood memorabilia – old school posters, faded propaganda, cracked dolls, and relics from Japan’s post-war innocence that somehow don’t feel innocent anymore. This place looks like a candy-coloured trap, and it feels like walking into a dream that ends very Hansel and Gretel.

Department H has held Tokyo’s fetish line for decades. The Halloween edition makes the Showa cabaret setting feel like the city’s strangest catwalk, with latex, leather, drag and performance art spinning around from cieling to stage and a market for gear. Costume effort gets rewarded at the door. If you look regular, budget more. If you’ve planned your outfit for a week, the entrance staff will notice. The regulars include icons, lifers, and first-timers who finally worked up the courage to go. It’s welcoming, it’s theatrical, and it runs late enough to feel like a secret even when the room is full.

Tucked deep in the mountains of Hanno, Saitama, Nenogongen Tenryuji is one of those rare temples where Shinto and Buddhist worlds overlap. At the entrance, a bright red torii gate (a traditional Shinto gate marking sacred ground) leads toward a a weathered Sanmon, the wooden gateway typical of Buddhist temples and a Niomon guarded by two fierce statues. Together, they trace the layers of faith that have shaped the site for centuries, reflecting how both religions once coexisted before the Meiji government pushed to separate them.The temple is dedicated to the deity of mobility, which explains the enormous metal waraji sandals on site — modeled after traditional straw ones once woven from vines. Said to be the biggest in the world, they’re believed to protect travelers and strengthen legs. Nearby, a lone giant red high heel adds an odd, modern twist to the grounds. Keep walking past the main area and you’ll find the temple’s most haunting feature: a pair of massive white hands rising from the forest floor. Their smooth, bright surface contrasts with the moss and bark around them, turning strangely uncanny the closer you get.  Getting there consists of an almost four-hour trip from Tokyo, with a steep 1 hour 45-minute hike from Shomaru Station. Luckily, a local community shuttle called the Okumusashi Rakuraku Kotso Mobility Port, run by the Okumusashi Green Resort NPO, offers rides between the station and the temple for ¥500 one way. Reservations need to be made at least a day

Hidden in the hills of Ito, Maboroshi Hakurankai is part museum, part fever dream. It’s a maze of mannequins, taxidermy, Showa-era erotica, and decaying pop-culture relics spread across five greenhouse-like rooms and outdoor corridors. The collection feels suspended between worlds: half post-war nostalgia, half Lynchian nightmare. The space has been open for over 15 years and is run by Sailor-chan, a pixie-like curator who seems to belong to the museum as much as the displays themselves. Every item inside has been donated, adding to its sense of accidental storytelling — a place built from other people’s forgotten obsessions. Wax children stare from broken classrooms, skeletons wear wigs, and something about the place lingers. You laugh, take a few photos, and leave feeling like it followed you home.

Bonobo’s split-level hideout hosts a full-tilt community night under the Ponobo banner. The booth cycles through a deep roster of DJs while the front bar runs food and bev service that actually matters. Live painting, tarot and Co-Star readings, and a flyer design worth saving pull it together. It’s messy in the right way, held together by regulars who know when to pass the aux and when to leave it alone. Bring cash for the food, patience for the stairs, and room in your Notes app for new names.

Every year, Verdy throws one of the wildest Halloween parties in Tokyo. Harajuku Horror Night takes over Shibuya’s Spotify O-East and Azumaya again this year, pulling in the city’s most dressed-up crowd – people show up looking ready to kill, and on this night, maybe literally. Even Verdy shows up in costume, fully committed to the theme like everyone else. The line-up always mixes major names with Verdy’s friends across music, fashion and nightlife, making it one of those events that’ll make you the cool friend of the group for knowing what’s up.This year, the party expands with a collaboration alongside Kyun Desu, Tokyo’s go-to hyperpop collective, and headlines Ice Spice, the New York rapper behind some of the decade’s biggest anthems. Harajuku Horror Night keeps proving why it’s become one of the city’s most anticipated nights out.UPDATE: Tickets are now sold out online, but there will be tickets available for purchase at the door. 

Breakfast Club’s kitchen turns Italian for one night. Food Connectors run the menu – margherita pizza, squid-ink pasta, and cocktails that feel like a slow exhale after a long week.It’s intimate but not exclusive, the kind of dinner where you’ll see familiar faces from Tokyo’s creative circles leaning on counters between courses.DM for a table if you’re serious about eating. Otherwise, show up, grab a seat, and let the night pace itself.  

In a move you never expected, McDonald’s Japan and Street Fighter literally cross worlds with the ‘Street Burgers’ line-up dropping today (October 22), pulling familiar faces from Capcom’s universe into fast-food form. Ryu gets the burnt-garlic mayo egg teriyaki treatment, Chun-Li turns into a yurinchi-style chicken burger, and Ken plays the role he always has: excessive, triple-cheesed and golden. Each item lands in limited packaging that looks more like arcade signage than meal branding, while McFizz cups show Ryu and Ken mid-Hadoken. undefinedundefined It’s a collaboration that makes sense in the way Japan often does – nostalgia and convenience culture colliding in a perfectly designed impulse purchase. The tie-in extends beyond the counter too; players of Street Fighter 6 can unlock in-game bonuses connected to the campaign, making it one of those crossovers that bleeds through reality just enough to feel surreal. McDonald’s commercials have leaned into that, showing burgers exploding like special moves, filmed with the same confidence as a Capcom trailer. The collab runs nationwide starting October 22 2025, for a limited period. It’s easy to dismiss this kind of marketing as novelty, but Japan has turned novelty into an art form – knowing that a moment of play, no matter how commercial, still carries cultural weight.  The ‘Street Burgers’ collab is available at McDonald’s outlets nationwide. Check the website for full details. More

1990年代後半から2000年代初頭にかけて、矢沢あいの漫画は真の文化現象だった。彼女は、ファッションを「第二の言語」として操り、失恋が常に線路の向こう側で待ち構えているかのような独特の世界観を構築。『NANA』『Paradise Kiss』『ご近所物語』では、東京という都市のカフェも裏通りも一本のたばこまでもが、映画のワンシーンに見えるように切り取った。 そして、矢沢が描いたキャラクターたちは、「ヴィヴィアン」のタータンやイチゴ色のフリルに身を包み、喜びと絶望の間を漂いながら、孤独さえもスタイルとして昇華するかのように街を歩く。 紙面上では未完のまま止まっている物語もあるが、この街・東京では、その間も矢沢の世界の断片が息づいている。中には「聖地巡礼」として知られる場所もあれば、彼女の描く一コマがそのまま現実になったかのような場所もある。 『NANA』の熱心なファンであれ、あるいは矢沢の鋭い若者観やファッション感覚に引かれる者であれ、これら6つのスポットは、彼女の世界のフレームの中へと引き込んでくれるだろう。 多摩川沿いを「ホット・ガール・ウォーク」する Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 多摩川には、一度の夕暮れの間にロマンチックにもメランコリックにも揺れ動く空気が漂い、マジックアワーの水面には郊外の静かな輪郭と、遠くに広がるスカイラインの両方が映り込む。 ここでは、自分自身が変化の途上にいる登場人物であるかのように感じられる。選択のはざまに立ち、昨夜の会話を頭の中で繰り返したり、ノートに歌詞の断片を描きつけたりする。ギターを手にしたカップルが歩き、ランナーとすれ違う。気付けばその光景全体が、まるで矢沢の漫画の一場面を現実に重ね合わせたかのように見えてくるに違いない。 「Jackson Hole」のバーガーに時間を忘れる Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 『NANA』のファンにとって、「Jackson Hole」はハンバーガーショップではなく、むしろ巡礼地である。調布にあるこの居心地のよい店は、作品に組み込まれており、漫画の世界から現実へワープできる数少ない場所の一つだ。 ハンバーガーを注文し、ボックス席に腰を下ろせば、目の前のテーブル越しにハチや章司が座っている姿が目に浮かぶ。学校の課題について語り合ったり、複雑な恋模様を解きほぐしたりしているかもしれない。料理そのものは純粋なアメリカンだが、そこに漂う響く空気は間違いなく矢沢の世界そのものだろう。 下北沢でおそろいのコップを探す Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 下北沢に点在する古着店やビンテージショップは、矢沢の漫画世界に思いをはせるためにあるかのように思える。「東京レトロa.m.a.store」では、ハチらしさがぎゅっと詰まったイチゴ模様のガラスのコップを手に入れたり、彼女がインテリアの仕事をしていた頃を思わせるスタイリッシュな家具の中を歩き回ったりできる。 この街のキッチュとストリートウエアの鋭さが混ざり合う空気感は、矢沢作品の登場人物たちを忘れがたくしているあの絶妙な緊張感そのものであり、どの店も新しいサブプロット（副次的な筋書き）が生まれそうな気配をまとっている。  「喫茶小雪」でゆったりとした時間を過ごす Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 「喫茶小雪」は、まるで矢沢のヒロインのためにスケッチされ、生まれたかのようなカフェだ。昭和の趣に加え、繊細なイチゴケーキも楽しめ、懐かしさと2000年代のガーリーカルチャー

Hysteric Glamour isn’t new to flipping cultural icons, but this time they’re dragging the women of One Piece through their rock’n’roll-pin-up lens. Nami, Robin, Boa Hancock and Vivi show up across tees, denim and jackets, mashed with Hysteric’s usual Americana graphics and sleazy-retro attitude.
 Instead of cosplay-adjacent iconography, this collab feels more like bootleg streetwear you’d want to thrift and flex. It leans hard into what’s given Hysteric its name: loud prints and irreverent sex appeal. So you can wipe away worries of sifting through a back-alley rack in Shibuya next to vintage Marlboro jackets and fake Metallica tees. Photo: Hysteric Glamour x One Piece The line-up is lean but punchy: four graphic T-shirts, a mesh cap, an open-collar shirt, and a reversible sukajan bomber jacket with Nami embroidered on one side and all-over artwork on the other. Prices run from ¥15,400 for tees up to ¥132,000 for the sukajan – squarely in Hysteric’s usual range.
 Photo: Hysteric Glamour x One Piece The release drops October 4 at Hysteric Glamour flagships across Japan (Shibuya, Nagoya, Osaka, Sendai, Kyoto, Fukuoka) and the brand’s web store. If you missed the pre-order window on Zozovilla, this is your shot. More from Time Out TokyoFamilyMart has opened its own clothing store in TokyoThe world's first Dragon Ball Store is opening in Tokyo Station this NovemberMichelin Guide Tokyo reveals newly starred restaurants and more for 2026The Summer Hikaru Died is getting a stag

Navigating Tokyo’s nightlife scene can feel like stepping into a circus. One look around reveals endless options for revelry that can take you well on into the early morning – but the act of actually walking into a new space, especially one you’ve never set foot in before, can be daunting. So, to spare you another night posted up in front of your go-to convenience store, we’ve curated a list of events happening around the city this weekend that are guaranteed to be worth the effort. With Tokyo Fashion Week in full swing, this weekend’s line-up promises a wave of stylish people, move-inducing beats, and a whole lot of fun. Photo:Yagi Exhibition. x Kangol Presents: Rabbit Museum Yagi Exhibition x Kangol Presents: Rabbit Museum at Domicile Tokyo Sep 5-12Reiji Okamoto is a man of many musical titles, but above all, he's a connector of Tokyo’s underground – This time he's teaming up with renowned British brand Kangol for the fourth round of their cult collaboration. The Rabbit Beanie returns, updated with a few design changes, and a multitude of colours. Alongside the garment’s official release will be an exhibition of one-off custom versions created by 21 iconic local artists at Tokyo’s fashion and cultural syndicate, Domicile Tokyo. The exhibition launches Friday with an opening reception and will remain on view through September 12. The collab celebrations will spill over into Monday with a Rabbit Party being held at Shibuya’s Music Bar Lion. Expect live sets, seasoned DJs an