05 Sep BTS for Halloween: Horror, Japan Style

Posted at 10:36h in Behind The Scenes by BlackMilk Clothing

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BTS for Halloween: Horror Japan Style

For this year’s Halloween collection, we were inspired by one of the world’s best locations for all things horror – Japan!

Whether it’s expressed through grotesque artworks (some of which you might have seen featured in our prints before), J-horror films or terrifying urban legends: Japan just does horror oh so well. What we love most about Japan though is it doesn’t just stop at showing horror through art – if you go there you can actually experience it (safely, of course). Millions of people flock to their various haunted houses (and there are a lot of them). Even Tokyo DisneyLand has a haunted mansion! Oh, and if you’re really game, you could even go and explore a real haunted location, like Oiran Buchi, Okiku’s Well or Inukane Pass Tunnel. We passed on that this time though…

Many of these Japanese horror stories feature demons, so naturally, we had to give some a starring role in this collection. So when it came time to develop a demon of our own for BlackMilk, of course it had to love neon.

Our Neon Demons live in these creepy tunnels below Tokyo. They spend ten years down there at a time, so they can’t see very well (kind of like when we go on a Netflix binge all weekend). Luckily, the bright, neon lights of Tokyo are the perfect guide to show them exactly where they can find their next victim…

Check out what happened BTS on the photo shoot.

You might recognise this space from the lookbook – and yes, it is actually a real place! As soon as we laid eyes on it, we knew it had to be part of Neon Demon.

Not everyone you meet in a dark alley is bad! Eden had this little kitty keeping her company.

We’re not sure what Alex was trying to organise on the phone here, but it looks pretty serious. Ordering dinner, maybe?

So this is not just any random Tokyo alleyway – but one that also made it into the Lookbook. Our demons take a breather here, and start to show their erm, true form.

Side note: If you haven’t witnessed the magic that is Japan’s vending machines yet, let us tell you, it is something to behold. You can get basically anything you want from a vending machine; ramen, burgers, socks printed to look like sushi… You know, the essentials.

These ones were actually right outside the apartment we were staying in. Convenient much?

It wasn’t hard to find photo opportunities. You could basically spin in a circle taking random photos and get a great shot every time. That’s not what we actually did, but you get the point.

This street shown above was in Shinjuku, a hot spot for entertainment and shopping – with plenty of neon. It’s definitely a must-do area to explore for travellers.

Demons need touch-ups too!

Spotted on the Metro…

This was a ‘Love Hotel’, if you go to Tokyo, you’ll probably see a lot of them. We can’t say we went inside, but they do all look really cute and colourful from the outside. Another good photo opportunity.

Recognise this spot? It’s Kabukicho Gate, which marks the entrance to Shinjuku’s red light district. You’ll want to prepare yourself before stepping foot in here. It’s a sensory overload of bright lights, music, karaoke, and just about anything else you could imagine.