Sep 27, 2023
Find Your Halloween Costume in Tokyo
Halloween is rapidly approaching, so get your costume soon because leaving your costume to the last minute and dressing as “an ax murderer, because they look just like you and me” isn’t as creative as you think it is. Halloween was not really “a thing” in Japan previously, but recently they have been jumping on the ghoulish bandwagon, so if you plan to dress up for the festivities around town, here are a few places to start looking for your costume.
Don Quijote – Akihabara (Discount Variety Store)
Don Quijote’s Akihabara store is vast, so big that the fifth floor is entirely dedicated to a “cosplay” section featuring costumes and accessories. The store stocks 1,400 costumes year-round and likely more during Halloween. If you are in the market for a costume, this is probably the most straightforward and best place to find one.
4-3-3 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
03-5298-5411
www.donki.com (en)
Loft (Variety Store)
The loft is a great store and a fantastic place to kill a couple of hours, as well as find costumes and accessories. There are many locations around Tokyo and Japan; choose one!
Tokyu Hands (Variety Store)
I found Tokyu Hands described as “the description-defying Tokyo institution that sells just about everything you could ever need and is loved by everyone who visits,” and I have a hard time arguing that. It is a great store and a fantastic place to kill a couple of hours, without a doubt. It is also a great place to pick up costumes and accessories. There are many locations around Tokyo and Japan; choose one!
BIG KIDS (Costume Sales and Rentals)
BIGKIDS specializes in sales and rentals of costumes for a variety of unique events and holidays. The shop is a warehouse, so you cannot try anything on, and they do not speak any English I know of, but they have a great selection of costumes available. Be sure to arrive before 5, or they won’t let you in; despite the hours listed on the website.
Ota-ku, Tokyo 6-8-17 Omorinishi Imex building 1F
03-5764-1515
www.bigkids.co.jp (JP)
HJS
HJS is a bit on the risque side of things, but depending on what you are looking for, it may just fit the bill. They offer cosplay, schoolgirl, and maid outfits for the most part, but the selection is large and well worth a visit to either the website or shop.
2F, 1-6-11 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo
03-5413-3732
mia.shop-pro.jp (JP)
GEE! Store “Cospa”
COSPA Authentic Shop on the third floor of the GEE! Store is a great place to go if you are looking for “cosplay” style costumes. From the website, “Our shop fully supports cosplayers, from beginners to those who hand-make their costumes! We offer an extensive range of products needed for cosplay, including costumes, knee-high socks, wigs, makeup, accessories, dyeing tools, and materials for hand-making items.”
3F, GEE! STORE AKIBA, 3-15-5, Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
www.cospa.com/ akiba
www.geestore.com/ akiba
Village Vanguard
Village Vanguard is billed as Japan’s “Exciting Book Store,” and it lives up to it. If uncomfortable surrounded by an incredibly eclectic collection of goods displayed in what can only be described as organized chaos, this is not the store for you. If you are looking for incredibly random stuff, like costume parts and masks(!), this IS the store for you. There are many locations around Tokyo and Japan; choose one!
Google Map link
www.village-v.co.jp
100 Yen Shops
One hundred yen stores offer a wide variety of goods to solve little problems you never realized you had, and often the items on offer are of very similar quality to those available in much more expensive grocery or hardware stores. When looking for costume items, a 100 yen store can be invaluable. There are tons of these around and likely one near you now, but we will defer to Timeout Tokyo’s article on the top 100 yen stores in Tokyo for your best chance of finding what you need.
Halloween Costumes Online
Amazon
Amazon does not need much of an explanation. Check the links below for a quick browse through their selection.
Search for “costume” in Japanese
Search for “Costume”
Rakuten
Rakuten does not need much of an explanation. Just in case, though, Rakuten is the Japanese equivalent of Amazon. Check the links below for a quick browse through their selection.
Search for “costume” in Japanese
Search for “Costume”
HJS
HJS is a bit on the risque side of things, but depending on what you are looking for, it may just fit the bill. They offer cosplay, schoolgirl, and maid outfits for the most part, but the selection is large and well worth a visit to the website.
mia.shop-pro.jp (JP)
Photo by Danny Choo from Tokyo, Japan (Kawasaki Halloween) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
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