It can be a challenge to find appropriate stationery supplies for the spooky season, luckily Japan has you covered!
Despite coffee shops bringing in pumpkin spice latte and candy stores lining windows with limited ghastly goods, stationery shops are often left out of the conversation. Sure, there’s the same rehashed pencils with pumpkin head erasers for the kids, but where are the real stationery goods?
The answer is in Japan!

What makes Japanese Halloween Stationery different?

If you search for “Halloween Stationery” in Japan, chances are you’ll find a better selection than in your home country, but still with a lot of imagery that may be a bit too reminiscent of single use plates from the dollar store. The error lies in searching for “Halloween” stationery. 
Halloween is seen as a “Western” tradition in Japan, and is largely a gimmick to get people spending for parties and get-togethers. But Japan has a rich history with monsters and horror that is not connected to October. 
In other words, if you search for “yokai” stationery, you’ll find a plethora of monstrous creatures that fit right into a Halloween journal spread. It’s all about the search terms! For example, the word “horror” is largely connected with western movies in Japan, so searching for “horror stationery” will net you pens featuring Jason from Friday the 13th series or Chucky etc.

So in simple terms, not all spooky stationery is halloween stationery and not all halloween stationery is spooky!

How do I buy Japanese Halloween Stationery?

The first thing you want to do is check your calendar. In Japan, it’s the summer that represents the spooky season, as this is when the fabric between the spirit world and the world of the living is said to be the thinnest. Naturally, stationery manufacturers focus their monstrous releases around the summer months. Here is general advice to find exactly the type of goods you’re looking for!

For Typical Halloween Stationery:

If you’re looking for items with a stereotypical western expression of the spooky season, with pumpkins, ghosts and skeletons then September & October are your months!

Traditional Japanese Spooky Stationery:

The grimmest and perhaps most fascinating morbid stationery is available usually around July/August as August is the month Japan celebrates Obon. Obon is a holiday for celebrating the return of ancestors' spirits visiting their families before returning to the spirit world. During this week, the doors to the underworld are open and not only kindred spirits come through, thus stores fill with Japanese Yokai monsters, vengeful spirits and other creepy designs.

Halloween Stationery Sets:

Every year stationery subscription boxes like ZenPop release boxes themed after the spooky season. With a team of Japanese & international staff, we can curate a selection of quality aesthetic stationery that has all the best parts of Japan’s spooky stationery, making it the easiest way to get a quality collection of Halloween themed stationery.
We source our items from various Japanese manufacturers and even collaborate with Japan based creators. In the 2024 box, you’ll find hard to find collection items like a Yokai sticker sheet from the series titled “Satisfying the curiosity of adults” and a black cat file folder from the “Midnight Curiosity Shop”.
We would love to recommend other boxes but unfortunately there are fewer and fewer services like ZenPop that provide Japanese Stationery. After past competitor Inku crate stopped operating in late 2023 the best alternative seems to be other online shops that stock Japanese Halloween Stationery.

Limited edition stationery:

While most seasonal stationery in Japan is already limited, the rarest items often come as collectible goods connected to some intellectual property. Japanese cinemas famously have gift shops featuring collectible goods for the movies being screened. These items often include stationery items such as pens, erasers, file folders and notebooks. If you’re a fan of horror films like “The Ring” or “The Grudge” then this is a unique way to find spooky items!

Artists & creators with gothic aesthetics:

Look for artists and creators with a spooky aesthetic! Japan has many vibrant communities of small creators making their own designs for their own brands and they often have online stores, small shops in areas like Harajuku or stands at conventions and markets.
Seek out creators with aesthetics that suit you and you can buy thrilling goods all year long!

Where can I buy Japanese Halloween Stationery?

There are many places you can go ghost stationery hunting, and not all are as transparent as you may think when it comes to the type of stores you may find the stationery you’re looking for.
Here is a list of your best bets for finding a wide variety of rare JApanese stationery with a ghoulish vibe!

LOFT:

The go-to shop domestically for cute, creative and seasonal stationery goods. LOFT is a fantastic store to visit for anyone with a passion for JApanese design and they always deliver on spooky seasons year on year. Expect limited tools from a variety of brands, especially in the washi tape, notebook and sticker departments. There are often other items as well, though pens and accessories are less common, they too exist.
LOFT like other retailers often have exclusive collaborations with brands matching the season, and a staple of spooky stationery is the manga “Gegege no kitarou” a very popular domestically, but relatively unknown abroad series which is attributed to have popularized Japanese traditional Yokai in modern day.

Tokyu Hands:

Another popular craft and variety store that have specialized stationery. Their products are less pronounced and focus on function and professionalism in their expression. While their seasonal selections are often more limited compared to alternatives, they are usually worth a visit.

Yodobashi Camera:

No it’s not just electronic equipment at Yodobashi Camera, this megastore have a large stationery selection of all kinds! It does give off outlet store energy both in presentation and pricing so this is a place you can find great deals, You will however rarely find brand collaborations and seasonal stationery is not as prominent.

Donkihote:

This insane store is a tourist attraction by itself but has a lot of character goods and stationery with seasonal items frequently visiting hte shelves. The selection is however limited and items tend to be less targeted to stationery enthusiasts and more to the average visitor.

Village Vanguard:

This dream store for fans of popular literature wears its nerd nature on its sleeve, with goods from not just popular franchises like Disney and Ghibli, but also niche series like Oyasumi no pun pun and Berserk. If you are familiar with the aforementioned series it should go without saying that you can find some gory goods here as well!

Character stores:

You will find a surprising selection of spooky stationery in character goods stores like the Capcom store, Mugiwara store and Nintendo Store. A standout among them for Halloween stationery is the Pokemon Center. Thanks to all the ghost type creatures from the popular monster catching series, it has been a cakewalk for them to theme their store for the spooky season. You can enjoy the lavender town music in the background and pick up a seasonal limited Pikachu plushie along with a cute notebook with a “Trick or Treat” design. 

ZenPop:

Halloween Stationery is more than just pumpkins and skeletons. This collection of spooky stationery is a combination of Japan’s “Kawaii” and the spooky nature of ghosts and ghouls. 
This set is an all in one pack of tools that’ll make your designs morbidly adorable!

What Halloween Stationery from Japan is the best?

With all these places to visit, it can be daunting to decide what items to go for. While you can usually test out writing utensils, stickers and washi tape is locked away by plastic. Here are some go-to types of stationery you can’t go wrong with.

Established brand X Intellectual Property:

You can’t go wrong with established stationery brands like MT, Kuretake or Mindwave. They often have themed collaborations with famous IP’s such as Studio Ghibli, The Moomins and Sanrio. Brands like these are also open to collaborations with spookier IP’s such as Gegege no Kirarou or Neon Genesis Evangelion. These products are guaranteed high quality with intentional detail that respect the IP while also remaining limited.

Established brand X Independent artists:

While products by independent artists with spooky art styles may be beautiful, the quality can at times leave much to be desired. It is simply hard to compete with Japan based hardware design from companies that have been doing this for years now. We can first hand confirm this as ZenPop have worked with these for 8 years, and the difference is noticeable. 
Luckily artists who see popularity often have collaboration collections released under some of these brand’s umbrellas, resulting in some of the most creative and unique spooky stationery you’ll find!

Established brand internal series:

Brands with long standing history also have long standing series which feature distinct formats but come in a variety of aesthetics. A great example of this is the “Otona no zukan” series from Kamio Japan. The name means to “satisfy adult curiosity” and have refined gold foil paper stickers laid out with encyclopedia like categorization on various topics. This includes spooky topics like Japanese Yokai! This sticker sheet just so happens to be available in the ZenPop 2024 October box. To see full translations of this sheet, see the bottom of this article.

Lucky matches:

Sometimes you’re just in the right place at the right time. There are certain products that just happen to fit the bill even if they were not necessarily created for an occasion like Halloween or any other for that matter. You can see this in the Monomee Cleis from NB. These sticky notes in their gothic nature fits a ghostly aesthetic as much as they fit a magical or even elegant mansion aesthetic. You can find this set of 60 sheets in the October 2024 ZenPop box.

Examples of Japanese Halloween Stationery:

There are plenty of examples for Halloween Stationery from Japan, so we selected some of our favorite items from the ZenPop October 2024 box.

WEARING SHOES GHOST Clear Flake Sticker From Greenflash

グリーンフラッシュ WEARING SHOES GHOST クリアフレークシール
A sticker set featuring a ghost! What, not enough for you? Ok, let’s try that again.
A sticker set featuring a ghost ~ drumroll ~ wearing boots!
The flake stickers are slightly translucent making them look different depending on where you place them. You can for example use red color to add blush strokes that will appear once placed.
The watercolor pencil works wonders with these!

MAYONAKA NO ZAKKATEN A5 pocket Clear file Black Cat From Greenflash

グリーンフラッシュ 真夜中の雑貨店　A5ポケットクリアファイル クロネコ 

Imagine you’ve had a long fun evening with your friends and stumble your way home in the dead of midnight. As you take your usual route home, you see a little shop you’ve never noticed before. With a flickering light, you read the name “The Midnight Variety Store”. That’s the name of the line of stationery this black cat file folder comes from.
Due to layers of transparency, the cats appear on top of what you file inside. It has a total of 3 pockets.

A・la・Carudou Mayonaka no Kitchen From Papier Platz

パピアプラッツ  ア・ラ・カル堂　真夜中のキッチン

Welcome to the midnight kitchen where the tea makes itself and floating gloves decorate your cake… This spectral design was dreamt up by artist a la carudou.
There is a lot to love here, from the size, the texture and the gold foil stamping which is extra clear due to its deep dark blue background.

Otona no Zukan Sticker Yokai From Kamio Japan

カミオジャパン 大人の図鑑シール　妖怪編
[Translation available] [26 types]
Do you remember our Harajuku Haul box which featured an idol fan sticker sheet? From the same series, this time the theme is Yokai, a category of Japanese monsters. To learn more about the 26 Yokai featured on the sheet.
The sticker series is called “satisfying the curiosity of adults” and is inspired by encyclopedias with its cute yet realistic gold foil designs.

Who are these Yokai?

The Otona no Zukan Sticker set has a whole 26 yokai on them. It would be very impressive to have knowledge of all of them, but the truth is; most Japanese people don't even know all of these. That said, if you'd like a bit of background on who the new inhabitants of your October Journal pages are, then read along here!

Amabie

A mysterious creature with a mermaid-like appearance with 3 fins, long hair and a beaked face. The legend says that if you draw the Amabie, you will be protected from ailments and sickness. It was relatively obscure until 2020 when its popularity soured due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Karakaza

Legends say that when a beloved old umbrella is abandoned and forgotten, it transforms into this monster umbrella. This is one of the early “modern” yokai which does not originate from “eyewitness” folk tales, but rather was shaped through the popular culture of games in the Edo period. It was featured in the latest “Mononoke” Movie titled Mononoke Karakaza.

Tengu

A winged long nosed creature depicted both as gods or yokai depending on context. They tend to reside on holy mountains, can shapeshift and are generally considered very wise and intelligent, yet territorial. A tengu is considered the god image of a cult located in Kyoto’s Mount Kurama.

Nuppeppo

Kamio Japan actually got this wrong. The name here is of a different Yokai (Nopperabou) which is a faceless monk. This sticker however depicts a blob of white ghostly flesh that is said to be edible? The creature is lumpy and has no face despite having contours of it. It’s said to eat fat from dead things and smell as such. Those who consume it gain eternal youth…

Wainyudou

A flaming wheel from an ox cart with the head of a tyrannical ruler who is being tormented for his rule in the afterlife. Said to roll along the long path from the gates of the underworld to our realm. It is ruthless and will steal your soul if given the chance.

Nue

A form of Kimera from Japan consisting of a variety of animal parts. The most common description is having the head of a monkey, the limbs of a tiger , back of a tanuki and a snake tail. It is nocturnal and can transform into a dark cloud.

Daidarabocchi

A giant yokai is said to have created lakes and landmarks with its enormous footprints. When sleeping it looks like a mountain range. It has also been described as a kind creature helping in construction.

Gashadokuro

The name literally means “rattling skeleton”, which is fitting as it’s composed of the bones of people who fell on the battlefield or passed from starvation. It hungers for human flesh and hunts at night near its origin. Once its hunger and rage has been sated it will fall to the earth.

Hyakkiyakou

A Japanese equivalent to “The wild hunt” from norse mythology where hundreds of monsters and demons roam the streets at night. It has been described as both an orderly procession or as a riot, but it’s best to avoid them nonetheless…  If you watched the Ghibli movie Spirited Away, the entry parade to the bath house would be a good depiction of the Hyakkiyakou.

Mokumokuren

A classic inhibitor of haunted abandoned houses. This is a collection of eyeballs staring down anyone who enters through holes in the wallpaper or the straw floor mats. You can remove them by simply fixing the holes. One legend saw a stingy man who lived in abandoned houses be confronted by this yokai, and proceeded to take the eyeballs and sell them to a surgeon.

Tamamo no mae

A nine tailed fox which courts rulers of kingdoms in order to poison their minds and cause national conflict from the shadows. She caused chaos in China and India before making her way to Japan where she became the favorite courtesan of an emperor. Her yokai identity was ultimately discovered and she was hunted and killed before her spirit attached to a volcanic rock spewing poison gas. This rock has split in half in 2022. The Japanese internet now speculate if her spirit is now on the loose again after 371 years.

Shutendouji

A lord of Oni (Japanese ogre) who is said to have lived in the mountains north of Kyoto. He was known for his love of alcohol and was ultimately defeated thanks to getting him drunk enough to slash him headless. Despite being decapitated, the head still managed to bite his assassin, who survived thanks to wearing several helmets.

Tsuchigumo

The fearsome earth spider comes in may forms through legends. Sometimes as just a big spider, other times as having the head of an ox. It’s generally seen as a barbaric unforgiving creature roaming mountains and coastlines. It was recently depicted as a character in the famous Manga series One Piece.

Zashikiwarashi

A child-like creature with a bob cut, said to haunt in places where humans live. While they are mischievous beings, all legends state that places where the Zashiki warashi dwell become prosperous places and are considered a good omen. Some inns in Iwate Prefecture claim you can see them at their establishments.

Nekomata

Do you own a cat which is reaching its twilight years? Then it’s time to pay attention to its behavior and appearance. Does it stand on 2 legs more often? Does it play more with your clothes? Has it grown a second tail? These are signs your cat is transforming into a nekomata. 

Azukiarai

This creature is responsible for fooling curious types into rivers at night by washing red sweet beans near the river edge. It’s hard to get a glimpse of the spirit, but it’s often described as a creepy old man. 

Kamaitachi

Ever noticed you had a cut or wound you didn’t realize you got before seeing it? It may have been the work of a Demon Weasel. They fly inside dust devils on windy days and slash people with sickle like claws that leave cuts with no pain.

Amefurikozo

A rather un-charming child monk looking creature with the important ability to cause rainfall. They are not particularly dangerous but do enjoy stealing your umbrella to wear as a hat, and then make it rain on you. 

Kappa

A widely known yokai living in rivers and lakes. Kappa are known to interact with humans but not always in a friendly manner. They love to eat cucumbers, but also favor human souls they extract from your.. rear end. Just make sure to wear something on your lower half when swimming in Japan.

Umibozu

A massive humanoid creature emerging from the ocean on stormy nights. It will approach sailors and demand a bucket. Be careful as it uses the bucket to drown each person one by one. The only escape is to provide it with a bottomless bucket and run away while it’s trying to figure out why the bucket doesn’t work.

Narigama

A furry yokai with a cauldron on its head, often with flames emerging from the pots opening. It’s said if you put this creature on a fire or stove to boil its cauldron head, the sounds of the boiling water can tell the future.

Biwa Bokuboku

This yokai is a reminder to everyone who’s abandoned their passion for a musical instrument. This once beloved lute slowly became a yokai after no more love or attention was given to it. It sits in abandoned tatami rooms, singing and playing an elegy of its neglect.

Nurarihyon

This old man looking creature is considered a supreme commander of all yokai. Wearing the finest silk and being carried from town to town by servants to visit villages and brothels, little more is known about it other than its many sightings and high regard from the other monsters.

Ibaraki douji

An Oni and servant of Shuten Doji also featured on this sticker sheet. Ibaraki douji escaped mount Oe after the defeat of their master. As they were responsible for several kidnappings in Kyoto, it’s likely that these exploits led to Ibaraki douji having their arm cut off by the samurai Watanabe no Tsuna, also visible on this sticker.

Rokurokubi

You may not realize this yokai lives near you, as it's near indistinguishable from humans, except for its elongated neck which stretches out when it's sleeping. Pay close attention to your female friends during your next sleepover… 

If you love Yokai and Japanese aesthetics, you'll love ZenPop in October!