Japan's Island of Monsters: A Unique & Supernatural Costume Experience
With Halloween fast approaching, it can be a mad dash to find the perfect costume for a party, and night out on the town. If you're travelling during this time, are at a loss for ideas, and have a fondness and affection for anything from deities to demons, head over to Japan for their annual Supernatural Festival, Yokainoshima.
Photographer Charles Freger recently released a book capturing the spirit and essence of the festival entitled, Yokainoshima: Island of Monsters. In the book are beautiful photographs of the performers that dress up as spirits and ghosts in celebration of the festival.
The Japanese term Yokai loosely refers to the supernatural creatures that exist on Japanese folklore and that encompass the Japanese pop culture, but does not strictly mean 'monster.' Charles interviewed experts in this field and highlights certain rituals like the garappa, or sacred water dance to the god of water. In this dance, the performers were dressed up as Kappa, or water spirits.