skull
These high school students won’t have any shortage of material for their next summer camp excursion, that’s for sure.
When you think of Japanese ukiyo-e, or woodblock prints, you probably think of Hokusai’s beautiful landscapes in his Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji, or the stylized prints of beautiful courtesans in traditional Japanese dress. But there are also many pieces of Japanese art and ukiyo-e from the Edo to the Meiji period (between 1603 and 1912) that represent a more mythical and macabre side of Japan.
The following is a collection of 20 pieces that all contain skulls or skeletons in some form, many of them by renowned and famous artists of the time.
Who’s afraid of the big bad…flower?! Sure, we’ve seen the pitch-black Turkish rose that would harmonize perfectly with the home decor of any hardcore heavy metal fan…but we never thought that a flower could be downright terrifying! The following pictures posted by one Twitter user prove that Mother Nature has cooked up some pretty creepy recipes. You might even have nightmares after seeing what this certain kind of flower looks like after wilting. On the bright side, you can make a veritable Halloween bouquet!
A pretty rare item popped up on Yahoo Japan’s auction page recently seemingly just in time for the Halloween season. From 26 September to 3 October, users were able to place their bid on a real human skull – at least I think it’s real according to the eerily vague product description.
At the closing, the winning bid was for 104,000 yen (US$1,300) which may or may not be a bargain. I haven’t been following the human bone index recently.







Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japanese government wants overseas anime market to roughly triple in 10 years, but are they crazy?
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Japanese bento shop sells croquettes for 13 cents, but are they any good?
Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
No, that’s not French bread, it’s Japan’s crazy-big gobo!
Fading Tokyo – Horikiri Station, the Arakawa River, and Kinpachi-sensei[Walking course]
7 great places to see Mt. Fuji from without having to climb it
Tokyo Station’s perfect breakfast spot might just be this izakaya Japanese-style pub
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
30 Pikachus want to share a Tokyo hotel room with you that has separate Grass, Water, Fire spaces
Man bites woman at cherry blossom park in Japan, dies shortly after
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
Howl’s Moving Castle’s scene-stealing dog is here to clean your home as a plushie mop
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
No, that’s not French bread, it’s Japan’s crazy-big gobo!
Fading Tokyo – Horikiri Station, the Arakawa River, and Kinpachi-sensei[Walking course]
7 great places to see Mt. Fuji from without having to climb it
Tokyo Station’s perfect breakfast spot might just be this izakaya Japanese-style pub
Sento bathhouse gets a new lease on life as a Tokyo cafe and office space
Hen na Hotel Haneda: What it’s really like to stay at Tokyo’s “Weird Hotel” with dinosaur robots
Drummer wows Internet with miniature taiko gacha capsule toy performance 【Videos】
Tokyo Station staff share their top 10 favorite ekiben
East Japan Railways phasing out magnetic paper tickets, seven other rail operators will too
Foreign man arrested for walking on Shinkansen tracks, claims he was on the run from yakuza
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]