Japanese School Shoes 'Kutsuoto'
Black lace-up school shoes in synthetic leather with a rounded toe, five eyelets and a thick treaded sole.
Japanese School Shoes 'Kutsuoto'
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The short answer
Black lace-up shoes in a smooth synthetic leather with a water-resistant finish, a rounded apron toe, five eyelets and a thick treaded rubber sole with a 4 cm heel. EU sizes 39 to 44; they run small, take one size up.
Fabric & care
The composition is stated in the description and printed on the inner label. Machine wash cold, inside out, with similar colours. Hang to dry. Iron on low, inside out over prints or embroidery.
Shipping & returns
Shipping is free on every order, with no minimum. Duties and import taxes are prepaid at checkout. Orders leave in 1 to 3 business days and take 6 to 12 business days on average; a tracking number is emailed on dispatch.
You may return any item within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. Write to contact@yonaku.com and we email you a prepaid label.
What we sell, and what we don't
Japanese designs, made in Asia. Cotton, linen or polyester as stated on each piece, never silk. We name every garment for what it is: a kimono jacket is not a haori, an unlined kimono is not a yukata.
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- 30-day returnsFree, prepaid label
- Sizing helpRuns small: take the larger size
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About this piece
Black lace-up shoes with a rounded toe and a thick sole, under every uniform
A uniform stops at the shoe, and this is the shoe it stops at. Black lace-up derbies with a rounded apron toe, five eyelets, a smooth black upper and a thick rubber sole with a deep tread that adds height and grip. They are the sturdy, slightly heavy shoe that Japanese students wear with everything from a sailor skirt to gakuran trousers, and they look right under both.
It is the pair for the whole day, not the photograph, and it has been built that way: the sole is thick enough for a platform and treaded enough for a wet one, and the upper wipes clean.
The name, Kutsuoto, is the sound of footsteps, the word for the noise a good pair of shoes makes on a school corridor, and these make it.
The upper is a smooth synthetic leather with a water-resistant finish, chosen because a school shoe is worn in rain and polished by nobody, and this one shrugs off both. The sole is rubber, moulded with a deep tread, with a 4 cm heel. The lining breathes.
Wear them with white socks and any of the sailor sets, as in the photograph, or with black socks and the black sets, or with the gakuran trousers, or with jeans. They are a black shoe with a thick sole, which is a shoe that has been in fashion for thirty years and is not leaving.
The lacing is five eyelets, so the fit is adjustable across the instep, and the toe is rounded and roomy. The heel is cupped. The sole is stitched and glued, not glued alone.
From across a street they are chunky black lace-ups under a white sock. From close the apron seam shows on the toe, the tread shows its depth, and the eyelets show their metal. They are the shoe the uniform was drawn with, and the one it still gets.
The tread is deep and the sole is thick, so they add height and take a wet pavement, and the platform is the reason they go with a short skirt as well as with trousers: the proportion is the one the photographs are drawn with, and the shoe carries it.
They are sold in EU sizes with the US equivalent beside each, and they are cut narrow through the instep, which the lacing corrects.
Sizes run from EU 39 to 44. They are cut to Asian sizing and run small, so take one size up from your usual. Between two sizes, take the larger.
Questions about the japanese school uniform
Is this a real Japanese school uniform?
It is the pattern of one: the sailor top with the striped collar, the knife-pleated skirt, the gakuran with its stand collar and gold buttons. No school, no badge, no crest. The cut is the real cut, and it is sold to adults.
What comes in a set?
The top and the skirt, or the jacket and the trousers, and the bow or scarf where the page shows one. Socks, bag and shoes are sold separately on their own pages.
Does it run small?
Yes. Our pieces are cut to Asian sizing, which runs smaller than US sizing. Take one size up from your usual; between two sizes, take the larger. Measurements taken flat are in the size guide.
What is it made of?
The uniforms are polyester blends, woven to hold a pleat and a collar. The socks are a nylon knit, the bag and the shoes a synthetic leather. Each page says which. Never silk, never wool.
Is it made in Japan?
No. It is a Japanese design, made in Asia. We say so on every page.
How do I wash it?
Machine wash cold, inside out, and hang the skirt from the waistband so the pleats fall straight; they come back on the hanger. Bows and scarves come off first. Wipe the bag and shoes with a damp cloth.
What we sell, and what we don't
Japanese designs, made in Asia. Cotton, linen or polyester as stated on each piece, never silk. We say so on every page, because the alternative is selling you a word instead of a garment.
On the record
| Piece | Japanese School Shoes 'Kutsuoto' |
|---|---|
| Chapter | 和服Clothing |
| Collection | All japanese school uniform |
| Fabric | Synthetic leather |
| Made | Japanese design, made in Asia |
| Reference | YONA-0259 |
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