Geta Sandals

The geta is the sandal you hear before you see. A solid wooden base on two teeth, a padded fabric strap that passes between the first and second toe, and a click on the pavement that has meant summer in Japan for a thousand years. It lifts the foot clear of wet ground, it goes with a yukata on bare feet or with a kimono over tabi socks, and it fits in a way no Western shoe does: the heel is meant to hang slightly over the back edge. Seventeen here, two woods, seventeen straps, and this page is about choosing the strap, getting the fit right, and walking in them.

What a geta is: the base, the teeth, the hanao

The base, the dai, is a single piece of wood, ours stained near black, which reads formal and evening, or warm brown with the grain showing, which reads summer and daytime. Under it are two teeth, the ha, that raise the foot a few centimetres and are what make the sound. Across the top runs the hanao, the padded strap, anchored at the front between the first and second toe and at two points at the back; it is the part you choose, and the part that softens with wear. Traditionally the hanao was tied and could be replaced; ours are fixed and padded. The zori and waraji are the flat cousins; the sneakers are what the other half of the wardrobe ends in.

Seventeen straps, and what each one says

Plain black, corded black and plain black on a brown base are the ones that go with everything and the ones a man wears with a yukata. The white strap printed with a red floral scroll, and the white with navy fish, waves and flowers, are the women's summer festival pair. The navy strap with white brush-written kanji reads calligraphic; the navy with white cranes and blossom, indigo-formal; the navy with a gold karakusa vine or gold clouds, a little richer; the navy with a gold and blue dragon, the loudest. The black strap printed with the grey seigaiha wave, on either wood, is the one to buy if you are buying one. Each strap comes on the near-black base and on the brown one, which is why there are seventeen.

How geta should fit, and how to walk in them

Size by foot length, not by shoe size. The heel should hang over the back edge by a centimetre or so; the toes should not reach the front; the strap should sit between the first and second toe without pinching. A geta that holds the whole foot inside the base is too big. New geta are stiff for a week: the strap softens, the wood settles, and you learn to walk heel first with a shorter stride, which is what produces the two-note click. The teeth wear evenly if you do; they wear at the back if you shuffle. On a wooden floor they are loud, and that is part of the point.

What to wear them with

A yukata on bare feet is the summer festival; a kimono over white tabi socks is the formal version; a jinbei in the garden is the everyday one. Outside the traditional wardrobe, a plain black-strapped geta with rolled indigo denim and a white tee is a real Tokyo outfit and not a costume, and the linen-look joggers in the pants collection were made for it. Never with an ordinary sock; the tabi, split at the toe, is the only sock a thong sandal takes.

Sizing and care

Listed by foot length in centimetres with the US and EU equivalents on each page; measure heel to longest toe and take the size that matches or slightly exceeds it, remembering the overhang. Solid wood, stained; padded fabric straps. Wipe the wood with a dry cloth, keep it out of the rain when you can, and let it dry naturally if you cannot; do not oil it. The strap brushes clean. Made to Japanese designs in Asia, and every page says so.

Geta: the questions we are asked

Are geta comfortable?

After a week, yes. The strap softens, you learn the stride, and the raised base is easier on the foot than a flat sandal. The first days are stiff, which is normal.

Should my heel hang over the back?

Yes, by about a centimetre. That is the traditional fit. If the whole foot sits inside the base, go down a size.

Geta or zori?

Geta are wood on two teeth and go with a yukata in summer. Zori are flat and go with a kimono to anything formal. Both take the thong between the first and second toe.

Can I wear geta with socks?

With tabi, the split-toe sock, yes; that is the formal way. With an ordinary sock, no.