Three Daiso ideas for a super-cheap but still cool (or cute) Halloween look

Further proof that no matter what we need, we can probably find it at Japan’s favorite 100 yen store .

Japan has embraced the frights, fun, and food of Halloween in a big way in recent years, but still not in a complete mirror of how things are done in America.

For example, Japan doesn’t anything equivalent to Spirit Halloween or other temporary discount specialty shops that move into vacant shopping mall spaces to offer costumes ideas ahead of October 31.

So what should you do if you find yourself in need of a quick, affordable Halloween outfit that’s still some mix of creepy, cute, or cool? Head to Daiso , Japan’s favorite 100 yen store chain.

That’s what our Japanese-language reporter Natuski Goto did, since as of September Daiso is stocked with Halloween items.

Because wallet-friendly shopping is Daiso’s whole deal, Natsuki decided to keep her Halloween outfit decidedly low-cost, limiting herself to three budget points: 110, 220, and 550 yen (roughly US$0.70, US$1.40, and US$3.50), even accounting for Japan’s 10-percent sales tax.

Let’s see what she put together. ● 110-yen budget When you’re limiting yourself to just a single item, you’ve got to pick something that provides a big impact, and Natsuki’s pick is Daiso’s Skull Mask .

Officially, this is the “Skull Mask -Color-,” as it’s got a faux metallic sheen to it with a distressed effect that makes it look like it was dragged through a dungeon, graveyard, or some other suitably spooky scenery.

With a simple single head strap, this mask only covers the front of your face, so it works best paired with a hoody to help sell the skull illusion, and a black garment gives you a nice shinigami/death god vibe .

One thing to be aware of, though, is that as a one-size-fits-all mask, the eyeholes may be a little on the large size for some wearers.

Because of that, your eyes might need to do some acting to suitably match the dark depravity of that ghoulish grin, but at a price that’s less than a bottle of tea from a vending machine (and much less than a can of vending machine hot pot ), this mask is pretty impressive. ● 220-yen budget Shifting gears to the cute category, Natsuki’s pick for the mid-range of extremely low budgets is a bit of cat cosplay .

Daiso actually has a variety of Halloween-themed hairbands, some featuring quirky pumpkins or naughty devil horns, but with enough money in this budget tier for a second item, Natsuki says the “Cat Headband” is the best choice because of the potential to pair it with Daiso’s crayon-style face paint set .

The Face Crayons are incredibly easy to use, with a tactile feel pretty much the same as coloring on paper, just that you’re using them on your skin.