Japanese Footwear

The oldest thing in a Japanese wardrobe is under your feet. The geta, the zori and the waraji were on Japanese roads a thousand years before the sneaker, and they all work the same way: a flat sole, a thong between the first and second toe, and a heel that sits slightly over the back edge. That overhang is not a fault, it is the fit. Forty-one pairs here, from the wooden geta that clicks on the pavement to the chunky sneaker Tokyo wears with a kimono jacket, and this page explains which is which, how they should fit, and what to put on your feet under them.

Geta, zori, waraji: the three Japanese sandals and how they differ

The geta is the wooden one: a solid base on two teeth, stained near black or warm brown, with a padded fabric strap, the hanao, that passes between the first and second toe. It lifts the foot clear of wet ground, it makes a sound you hear before you see it, and it is worn with a yukata in summer or with a kimono and tabi socks the rest of the year. The zori is flat and formal: a moulded or woven sole, a padded thong, the sandal worn with a kimono to anything that matters. The waraji is the oldest of the three, a sole woven from rice straw with rope cords that cross the foot and tie at the ankle, the sandal of pilgrims and travellers. The sandals collection holds the zori, the waraji, a straw sandal with a rope thong, and a wooden flip flop with a printed strap that sits halfway to a geta.

The geta: seventeen straps, two woods, one way to fit

All seventeen geta share the base, solid wood on two teeth, and differ in the strap: plain black, black corded, white printed with a red floral scroll, navy with white brush-written kanji, navy with a gold dragon or a gold karakusa vine, black with the grey seigaiha wave. The wood comes stained near black, which reads formal, or warm brown with the grain showing, which reads summer. Fit is by foot length, not by shoe size: the heel should sit a centimetre or so over the back edge, the toes should not reach the front, and the strap should sit between the first and second toe without pinching. New geta are stiff for a week; the strap softens with wear and the teeth wear evenly if you walk heel first. They are loud on a wooden floor and that is part of the point.

Japanese sneakers: what Tokyo actually wears

The nineteen sneakers are the streetwear half of the collection, and they follow the streetwear rule: chunky, mostly plain, and worn with the trouser cropped so the sole shows. Utility sneakers with straps across the upper and a knit collar. Sock-knit high tops that pull on. Low skate shoes with a dragon drawn in black line on the side panel, or a lightning stitch, or doodled flowers. Court sneakers panelled in faded floral denim. Platforms on a wavy cream sole. The pairing that looks most like Tokyo is a plain black chunky sneaker under wide black cargo pants and a kimono jacket; the pairing that looks least like it is a bright sneaker under a printed short with a printed shirt.

Tabi socks, and the detail that tells a Japanese eye you know

Tabi are the socks split between the big toe and the rest, so a thong sandal passes between. White ribbed tabi with a zori and a kimono is the formal combination; geta on bare feet with a yukata is the summer one; tabi with geta is what you wear when it is cold and you do not want to give up the sandal. Wearing an ordinary sock with a thong sandal is the one mistake that shows from across the street. The white tabi are in the accessories, one size, and they are the cheapest thing on this site that changes how an outfit reads.

How to size Japanese footwear

Geta and sandals are sized by foot length in centimetres and listed with their US and EU equivalents; measure your foot heel to longest toe and take the size whose length matches or slightly exceeds it, remembering the heel is meant to overhang. Sneakers are listed in EU sizes with the US size beside them, and most run small: the product page says whether to size up, and it usually says yes. Wooden geta do not stretch; fabric straps do. Straw sandals are for dry days and soften with wear. Everything here is made to Japanese designs in Asia, in the materials stated on each page.

Japanese footwear: the questions we are asked

Are geta comfortable?

After a week, yes. The strap softens, you learn to walk heel first, and the raised base is easier on the foot than a flat sandal because it keeps you off wet ground. The first days are stiff; that is normal.

Should my heel hang over the back of a geta?

Yes, by about a centimetre. That is the traditional fit and it is how the sandal is meant to be worn. If the whole foot sits inside the base, the geta is too big.

What is the difference between geta and zori?

Geta are wood, raised on two teeth, and worn with a yukata in summer. Zori are flat, with a moulded or woven sole, and worn with a kimono to anything formal. Both have the thong between the first and second toe.

Can I wear geta with jeans?

You can, and in Tokyo people do, with the jeans rolled to show the ankle. A plain black-strapped geta with rolled indigo denim and a white tee is a real outfit, not a costume.