Halloween seemed a world away when I lived in rural Japan in the 1990s. A friend of mine knew about it, though, and in an effort to help me feel at home, she corralled a few neighborhood kids to dress up and visit my door.

They arrived, giving each other looks that said, “We didn’t sign up for this, and we don’t know what we’re doing here.”

But I had candy at the ready and handed it out.

The tradition didn’t take off. Not then anyway.

Fast forward to 2024, and Halloween is all over Japan. Our hotel’s front desk had signs that read — “How about saying ‘trick or treat’?” So we did, and out came a bucket of candies.

And then there were those beautiful black cat and pumpkin rolls (above) in a bakery at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.

And I know it isn’t meant to be Halloweeny, but doesn’t this rolling riderless wheelchair give off a bit of a spooky vibe?

Hope you have a happy Halloween, wherever you are!

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Hello there! You are receiving this email because you signed up for my Japan- and writing-related emails. We might have met at a book-signing for my Japan memoir, The Same Moon (Camphor Press, 2020).

Over the past few years I have been focused on my aging parents and my son, who has special needs and is launching into young adulthood. As a result, I shifted my writing focus onto life in the sandwich generation — and started blogging at Sandwich Season. I’d love for you to check it out.

A trip back to Japan in mid-October has reinvigorated me with Japan-related subject matter, so I plan to start sharing here once again.