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Shinjuku, Tokyo Gothic Lolita kawaii shopping guide! Marui Annex 0101, Sanrio Hello Kitty stores, Don Quixote.

the satanic temple shop collections online store lucien greaves books

Hello, it’s been a minute! I was MIA because I flew somewhere for a major TV appearance… I can’t talk about it yet, but I’m thrilled to be back to the land of television, and will share the details with you once I can.

Thank you again for the love for “The Little Book of Satanism!”

cute baphomet knit plush toy devil satan kawaii amigurumi

Featured in Forbes | Publisher’s Weekly | Dazed – The Little Book of Satanism is an accessible guide to Satanic culture, history and ideas. Little Baphomet seems to like it…

See more details about my latest book here, as well as links to many retailers (it’s available worldwide in paperback and digital, and published by Simon and Schuster). Thanks to everyone who read it and reached out — it’s amazing to see my book on the shelves of Barnes and Noble, Powells, and other bookstores!

the satanic temple merchandise collections merch shop satanists

And more good news… a Spanish version of “The Little Book of Satanism” will be out soon! Some of you asked about translations of my book, and Ulysses Press made it happen.

“A thoughtful, concise examination of the history of the devil [that] cuts through the Satanic Panic myths that are still prevalent today.” – Forbes Magazine. See more info about my book here.

shinjuku station buildings neon lights

I’m also happy to see that many of you are traveling to Japan once again, now that the country is open to tourism. I was in Tokyo and other areas last August/September, and still have tons to share.

sanrio pochacco toys shinjuku gaming center

I’ll begin with a cute / Goth / alt shopping guide to Shinjuku, as I hope this might be useful to you when you travel to Tokyo! Read on for a tour of Marui Annex, Studio Alta, Don Quixote, Sanrio stores, and more. 

shinjuku marui annex godzilla store

Everyone knows Harajuku is the center of youth / alternative fashion, but Shinjuku has tons of pop culture boutiques as well. Whenever I’m in Shinjuku, I stop by 0101 Marui Annex department store to peruse the latest funky shops — like the Godzilla boutique!

godzilla tshirts tokyo japan shinjuku shop

The ground floor pop-up is dedicated to all things “Gojira” and his fellow dai kaiju. Find Mothra t-shirts, Godzilla head statues and other monstrous delights.

cinammonroll cafe shinjuku 1010 marui theme cafes

The bottom floor of Marui Annex also holds the Cinnamonroll Cafe. It’s a theme cafe dedicated to the cute bunny Sanrio character with long floppy ears.

sanrio cute theme cafe tokyo japan cinnamonroll

You can dine on ice cream parfaits and curries shaped like Cinnamonroll’s face, and sit at a table with one of the large plush toys.

milk lolita boutique shinjuku

The old Marui One Shinjuku was a treasure trove of Gothic and Lolita fashion. Today, this style is less popular and many labels dissolved — but Marui Annex still has a good number of kawaii and Loli boutiques in a single location, such as Milk.

vampires satanic fashion tokyo miffy socks

I found a pentagram, Satan silhouette and “Vampires” shirt at Milk Boy. Equally scary is the rack of Miffy socks from the bunny-themed boutique in Marui Annex!

cute character goods tokyo shinjuku 0101 marui department store

Walk around the multi-floored Marui Annex, and you’ll come across lots of cute mascot goods like these.

kawaii character shop guide tokyo japan

An entire store contains merch from lesser-known kawaii characters.

devil anime girls satanic japan satanists tokyo

Marui has art displays as well, such as these cardboard anime devil ladies.

kawaii mascots japanese plush toys

You know you’re in Shinjuku when there’s cuteness everywhere you look.

gothic sweet lolita shops guide shopping tokyo shinjuku

The seventh floor of Marui 0101 Annex is home to multiple boutiques that represent Harajuku, Jpop and Kawaii culture. 

emily temple cute boutique marui

These include Emily Temple Cute, which has been around for ages…

kera shop japan j rock goth punk clothes

… and my personal favorite, Kera Shop. The racks carry a variety of designers, and the fashion leans towards the darker side (Goth, punk, metal).

japanese gothic purses clothing bags

Even if the subculture is smaller now, the alternative handmade fashion remains inspiring — case in point above.

moi meme moitie dresses kera shop shinjuku

Mana’s Moi-meme-moitie brand has a presence at Kera Shop on the 7th fl of Marui Annex.

gothic lolitas stores shop guide

As you can see, the old school Kera Magazine / Gothic Lolita Bible styles are still alive (or undead).

angelic pretty sweet lolita loli dresses

Angelic Pretty is as pink and candyland-frilly as ever.

alice and the pirates gothloli

Alice in the Pirates still brings the fierceness with black and red rock asymmetry.

amavel Jirai Kei otome kei

Jirai Kei is currently all the rage — you’ll see a lot of young Japanese wearing dark girly styles like Amavel.

cyber rave alternative clothes shops japan

But there’s something for every type of alternative dresser at Marui, including urban and rave garments.

hyde jrock costumes band outfits exhibition

Speaking of undead vampires… I ran into an exhibition by Hyde, J-rock lead vocalist of L’Arc-en-Ciel in the 1990s.

hyde fantasmagorie L'Arc-en-Ciel ghost show art

“Fantasmagorie: The Ghost Show 1799” displays gentleman-meets-Jrocker outfits and videos made in collaboration with Hyde.

miffy × Samantha Thavasa tokyo purses wallets bags

Marui Annex is the best one-stop shop for alt fashion in Shinjuku. However, there are many other department stores in the area worth perusing — including Lumine, Keio, and others near the station.

I ran into a Miffy × Samantha Thavasa wallet / bag collaboration…

samantha vega sanrio kuromi purses bags accessories

… and a Samantha Vega x Sanrio characters collab! I was tempted to get this studded black Kuromi tote purse.

kuromi plush toys tokyo japan sanrio

Happy to report that Kuromi is dominating Tokyo. You can find her memorabilia everywhere, including in Don Quixote.

miffy bunny socks don quixote gifts

Donki is, of course, the giant Japanese “general store” packed with everything from mascot socks to snacks and adult toys.

don quixote tokyo weird cute facemasks

I always stock up on skincare and other necessities at Don Quixote. The Shinjuku location is rather packed, but has everything including Keroppy face masks. (Go to the Shibuya Donki for a more peaceful shopping experience).

sanrio sailor moon collaboration

Shinjuku has multiple Sanrio stores. Yukiro and I were a bit puzzled by the Sanrio x Sailor Moon collaboration… they did Sailor Jupiter dirty!

sailor mercury kuromi plush toys

Of course, Sailor Mercury got the Kuromi Goth treatment.

flower miffy store kawaii floral goods

From Shinjuku, you can also easily hop over to Ikebukuro to check out additional kawaii stores in/around Sunshine City. I had to stop by Flower Miffy.

miffy flowers boutique bunny flower

The name says it all. Miffy flower bouquets and other home goods.

oni japanese demon devil eating

I always stay in Shinjuku, as there’s so much to see, eat and do here.

bj group kabukicho boys posters host clubs

The Kabukicho red light district never fails to please… Who wants to see the BJ Group BJ boys?

host boys kabukicho shinjuku hair faces poster

This is the area for host clubs and silly host boys like the fellow above.

studio alta shinjuku alt goth stores

Studio Alta (across from Shinjuku station east exit) isn’t as funky as it used to be. There are only a few alt stores now, like the one above.

hello kitty fashion studio alta japan

I’m digging this Hello Kitty skirt, beanie and sweater combo.

kuromi clothes tokyo japan

Oversized sailor shirt with Kuromi in purple, yes please.

satanic bunny kawaii japanese satanist

And here’s a Satanic bunny with a pentagram and caduceus.

sanrio gift gate elegant shinjuku hello kitty statue

The Hello Kitty store “Gift Gate: Elegant Shinjuku” is another classic stop. Snap a photo with the big Kitty statue outside.

hello kitty in wedding dress bride

Inside, there are all sorts of Sanrio goods and displays like Hello Kitty in a wedding dress.

sanrio halloween poster hello kitty devil

I was in Japan right before Halloween, so I got to see slightly odd spooky designs like the above. (Of course, Hello Kitty is the devil while Kuromi is a maid.)

pokemon cakes pikachu baskin robbins cake

As for food… Shinjuku has it all. The Baskin Robbins next door to Gift Gate has smiling Pikachu cakes, as well as other Pokemon characters.

godzilla hotel shinjuku takoyaki

I’m fond of Coco Ichiban curry, conveyer belt sushi, and takoyaki (there’s a stand near the Godzilla Hotel in Kabukicho).

miffy ufo machine toys arcade

And don’t forget the many dollar stores and game centers! Wander around and pop into a few arcades — I came across Miffy in this UFO gaming machine.

tokyo game centers ufo toy machines games

I hope you enjoyed this updated Shinjuku shopping guide. Let me know if you make it to Japan this year, and what else you’d like to see on my blog! And you can always reach me at @lacarmina social media.

PS – I’m honored to be featured by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government! In this interview, they highlight my work in Japan pop culture and underground journalism.

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4 Comments

  1. Nikki_boagreis
    Posted February 10, 2023 at 5:12 am | Permalink

    Awww so cute! i love the hello kitty clothing, Hello kitty statue and “adult toys” The Hello kitty wedding dress is really pretty it’s adorable. Huge fan of the tote purse the pink is hot. I’ve got a few Hello kitty backpacks so i totally want the Hello kitty clothing it’s so cute! Also your book is amazing, i couldn’t put it down! Best of luck in your travels, be safe and keep up the amazing blog post “i love your blog so much” Amazing photos, hugs and kisses!

    • lacarmina
      Posted February 14, 2023 at 1:07 am | Permalink

      Thank you SOOOO much!!!! Love hearing your comments and am very glad the book is getting a great reception.

  2. Wholesale Clothing
    Posted February 11, 2023 at 10:04 am | Permalink

    These collection are really wonderful for me. Thanks for sharing..!

  3. Ozza Konveksi
    Posted February 24, 2023 at 6:46 am | Permalink

    Arghhhh… That’s super duper ultra kawaii!!

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