Shoes

[ljoekelsoey4]

Well, how many do we need? Im aware of the protocol so far as with slippers for bathrooms and kitchens, do we require specific shoes for inside school as well outside school? I find the whole thing rather confusing and intimidating if im honest... any help from current JETS or indeed anyone working/has worked in japanese schools would be great! cheers

[ChottoMonkey]

I have no definitive knowledge of the subject but my thoughts so far are:

1 pair of boots (for snowy winter weather) - outdoor only
1 pair of indoor slip on shoes (for teaching) - indoor only
1 pair of indoor trainers (for school gym) - indoor only
2 pairs of dress shoes - ???
1 pair of sandals - outdoor only
1 pair of daily use shoes - outdoor only
1 pair of house shoes/slippers - Indoor only

[dtrue]

Well, how many do we need? Im aware of the protocol so far as with slippers for bathrooms and kitchens, do we require specific shoes for inside school as well outside school? I find the whole thing rather confusing and intimidating if im honest... any help from current JETS or indeed anyone working/has worked in japanese schools would be great! cheers

I'm glad you started this.....I can't figure our how many I really need or if I will need to bring them because my size is hard to find. I wear an 7.5/8 in womans. Do Japanese shoes tend to be narrow?

[ladama]

I'm glad you started this.....I can't figure our how many I really need or if I will need to bring them because my size is hard to find. I wear an 7.5/8 in womans. Do Japanese shoes tend to be narrow?

Size wise, you'll be fine, 7.5/8 is pretty average, any women above a US9 (womens) is going to have some trouble finding shoes in Japan. I don't know about narrow though (I'm a US10w so I never bought shoes in Japan )

ChottoMonkey's got a good list of shoes going, here are my thoughts:

1 pair of boots (for snowy winter weather)
- Yes, definitely bring boots (or maybe ship them to yourself along with other winter clothes). If you're not placed in a snowy area, I still recommend a good pair of water-resistant boots/shoes.

1 pair of indoor slip on shoes (for teaching) - indoor only
1 pair of indoor trainers (for school gym) - indoor only
- If you're planning to assist the basketball/volleyball club or something, you may want two pairs of shoes, but generally you can get away with one pair of (non-marking) shoes for school. Virtually all my teachers wore sneakers as their indoor, teaching shoes.
If you go to multiple schools, you should consider leaving a pair of indoor shoes at your "base school" (they most likely will provide you a permanent shoe cubby) and then having another pair (or pairs) for your visit schools. Anything to avoid having to wear the guest slippers all day (which I did, several times >.<)

2 pairs of dress shoes
Probably a good idea to have 2, one indoor and one outdoor, though really, the shoes you wear indoors really don't have to be virgin shoes that have never touched the concrete/dirt, they just have to be clean. I wore dress shoes at school very rarely (mostly just entrance ceremonies, graduation, maybe the occasional meeting or demo lesson) so I would just make sure my dress shoes were clean and bring them with me on the day.

1 pair of sandals - outdoor only
1 pair of daily use shoes - outdoor only
Agreed, pretty self explanatory

1 pair of house shoes/slippers - Indoor only
If you're running short on suitcase space, these are very easily found in Japan for cheap (unless you have particularly large feet). I also grew to love slipper socks, I had ballet-style one for the warmer months, and long slipper socks (I guess they can be call chalet socks) for the cold months.

This probably goes without saying but always go for shoes you can easily put on and take off. In addition to school and your home, many restaurants, hotels(namely ryokans), and various other places require you leave your shoes at the door. You don't want to be the one who takes forever putting their shoes on.

And comfort, comfort, comfort! Your school shoes should be something you're okay with standing in for 5 or 6 school periods a day. Don't let style dictate your choices too much, I saw far too many Japanese girls wearing heels in highly inappropriate situations, such as hiking the trails of Miyajima >.<

[lenamarie0485]

Well there are a lot of things to consider, like your placement (no need to bring big pair of snow-boots to Okinawa )

I can't speak for men sizes, but I know for ladies if you wear anything over 8.5US you are pretty much at the end of the spectrum and choices will be scarce (as I wear an 8.5, was able to find SOME shoes but not much). And this may not even be the cut-off shoe size in the countryside, it may be smaller (I was in Tokyo). What I found interesting enough is that although my foot was considered big for jpn womens shoes, it was like in an awkward shoe size for mens and it was a little too loose (they sell pink Nike's in the men's section, hehe). So there is some hunting around to be done if you want to buy shoes in Japan. BUT there are 'ookii saizu' (big size) shoes in Tokyo (I'm sure they're in other places too) that sell "bigger" shoes but the majority are from western brand so they tended to be pricey.

So my suggestion is to bring your basic shoes, and if you're a shoe lover ship over the rest. Basic meaning: dress shoe, walking shoe, indoor shoe, running shoe, rain-boots or whatever.

You can always order from Zappos.com or straight from a brand site (like Toms, Nike, etc.)

[brainsteww]

I have no definitive knowledge of the subject but my thoughts so far are:

1 pair of boots (for snowy winter weather) - outdoor only
1 pair of indoor slip on shoes (for teaching) - indoor only
1 pair of indoor trainers (for school gym) - indoor only
2 pairs of dress shoes - ???
1 pair of sandals - outdoor only
1 pair of daily use shoes - outdoor only
1 pair of house shoes/slippers - Indoor only

Maybe if you have multiple schools, you might bring a second pair of indoor school shoes.

Also, I think it's custom to have bathroom slippers at home, in addition to house slippers.

So many shoes D:

[ljoekelsoey4]

well im a very VERY wide US size 12... so yeh i will be bringing my shoes from home XD

[ladama]

Also, I think it's custom to have bathroom slippers at home, in addition to house slippers.

Yeah, but those can be little 100yen shop slippers. My bathroom slippers were mostly for (Japanese) guests, I almost never took the time to change People often keep plastic or rubber slipper for their veranda, and a lot of the PTA moms brought their own cutesy little travel slippers to use at the school rather than using the guest slippers. Slippers!

[Kirari]

Well, how many do we need? Im aware of the protocol so far as with slippers for bathrooms and kitchens, do we require specific shoes for inside school as well outside school? I find the whole thing rather confusing and intimidating if im honest... any help from current JETS or indeed anyone working/has worked in japanese schools would be great! cheers

I'm glad you started this.....I can't figure our how many I really need or if I will need to bring them because my size is hard to find. I wear an 7.5/8 in womans. Do Japanese shoes tend to be narrow?

I've actually bought non-slip flip-flops/thongs from a Japanese company (Gyosan) and paid out the ass to ship them to the US -luckily the shoes themselves wre only Y650.http://www.gyosan.net/?pid=21309852 I'm a women's US size 7, so I bought the ladies' large size: 23-24.5cm. I worried they would be too narrow, because even though my feet were measured as average width in a shoe store, sometimes they're too wide for regular American pumps. But these fit perfectly. So I'm just going to try buying most of my shoes when I get there.

[nyc_to_japan]

I've actually bought non-slip flip-flops/thongs from a Japanese company (Gyosan) and paid out the ass to ship them to the US -luckily the shoes themselves wre only Y650.http://www.gyosan.net/?pid=21309852 I'm a women's US size 7, so I bought the ladies' large size: 23-24.5cm. I worried they would be too narrow, because even though my feet were measured as average width in a shoe store, sometimes they're too wide for regular American pumps. But these fit perfectly. So I'm just going to try buying most of my shoes when I get there.

OMG ladies' 7 is a large. What is ladies' 11? Is that in the Godzilla section of the shoe department? How about pants for 6 foot tall women? Also in the Godzilla section? Godzillette, perhaps? I mean, I already knew that I'd have to bring my own footwear, but zomg, size 7 is large! I was a ladies size 7 in second grade, LOL.

[Kirari]

I've actually bought non-slip flip-flops/thongs from a Japanese company (Gyosan) and paid out the ass to ship them to the US -luckily the shoes themselves wre only Y650.http://www.gyosan.net/?pid=21309852 I'm a women's US size 7, so I bought the ladies' large size: 23-24.5cm. I worried they would be too narrow, because even though my feet were measured as average width in a shoe store, sometimes they're too wide for regular American pumps. But these fit perfectly. So I'm just going to try buying most of my shoes when I get there.

OMG ladies' 7 is a large. What is ladies' 11? Is that in the Godzilla section of the shoe department? How about pants for 6 foot tall women? Also in the Godzilla section? Godzillette, perhaps? I mean, I already knew that I'd have to bring my own footwear, but zomg, size 7 is large! I was a ladies size 7 in second grade, LOL.

LOL! I prefer the term Amazon to Godzillette. It's sexier and more self-affirming!! <3 If I were a Japanese small business entrepreneur, I would open women's clothing/shoe store called Orithyia, full of trendy & classic styles to fit young, ambitious women whom have trouble finding sizes to fit.

Nissen, a catalogue company, has a big section for women's larger sized shoes (26cm & up): http://www.nissen.co.jp/cate004/sho_index/cate004_500_000_000-01.htm?shoes_bigsmall=2&shop=0&category_main_name=cate004_500_000_000&page=1&ipg=60 Just look up an international shoe size converter and find your size. Actually, Nissen has a lot of awesome stuff, including inexpensive furniture, but I can't say what the quality's like. Someone in the General Advice thread recommended them, though.

Edit: if anyone's trying to read these Japanese sites and can't, try putting the link address through Google translate. It's not perfect, but it helps!

[Siyris]

It depends on you and what you wear most, and depends on show sizes. It also might depend on how many schools you have.

For ladies:

Outdoor:
1 pair of heels -- You will most likely have business meetings at which you are expected to wear suits and while flats work, they do prefer to see you wearing heels.
1 pair of sneakers -- You want to have a pair of comfortable shoes for every day
1 pair of snow boots -- obviously, if you live somewhere it doesn't snow, you don't need them
1 pair of sandals -- Again, not strictly necessary, but my guess is you will be upset with yourself if you don't have a pair come summer time
1 pair of fun shoes -- for when you want to dress up and go out with friends or go dancing.

Indoor:
Depending on how many schools you have, you might want to have a pair of indoor shoes for every school. Also, depending on what level schools you have, the shoe requirements are different -- do NOT buy your indoor shoes until you have talked to your pred about what the other teachers wear! That said, this list is based off of what I've needed as a teacher at a JHS and an ES.
1 pair of sneakers (per school) -- Wear these almost every day
1 pair nice black shoes -- IMPORTANT at the entrance and graduation ceremonies you will NEED to wear a pair of black shoes. I didn't know this before graduation and I was the only person there in white shoes. Not a fun feeling.
1 pair of slip on crock-like shoes -- For overnighting at someone else's apartment, or in the summer when I don't want to wear slippers
1 pair of slippers -- for places that get cold, preferably warm slippers
1 pair of flip flops -- perfect if you're not sure you trust the floor of your shower room.

I think that's about what I have... I know it ends up being a lot of shoes, and if you can fit Japanese sizes, I would strongly encourage you to buy shoes here. For women, most shoe stores have up to a 24.5 or 25 cm size. A US size 9 usually amounts to a 25.5 or 26. At that size, you are able to find mens shoes that will fit, but the womens shoes are really difficult. Also, if you have wide feet, it can be really hard to find shoes that will fit.

If you like hiking, or other sorts of activities that require a specific type of shoe, considering bringing those as well (breaking in new hiking boots is never fun). Also, bathroom slippers have been made mention of -- I'm cheap and I rarely have Japanese people visit my apartment, and other ALTs don't care that much. When I know a Japanese person will be visiting my apartment, I leave a pair of my crock-like shoes in the bathroom to use as bathroom slippers, otherwise I don't have a pair. I know people who have slippers for their bathrooms, but personally, I just make do without.

[Kirari]

Thank you to everyone for the long lists of needed shoes! Very helpful.

On a side note, every time I see this thread's title, I think of this oldie but goodie: http://youtu.be/wCF3ywukQYA. Warning: this video is a bit bad-languagey.

[Namisuke]

If you know you will be living in a colder area, I recommend getting full-foot house slippers. You can rarely find them here. My boyfriend brought me big gorilla slippers from Canada - so awesome!

If you are not in a snowy area and your feet aren't above 30cm for men, don't worry about waterproof boots. You can buy awesome rain boots here. Good winter boots are more difficult to find.

I don't think owning heels is a big deal. Many people wear sneakers with suits. Nice suits and nice shoes don't seem to go hand in hand so much here...

For men and women, bring some waterproof runners. My boyfriend brought canvas ones and rain soaks through them.

[DoubleSupercool]

Basically, as a guy with size 14 foot (sometimes 15 depending on fit) who has been to Japan before

1 x comfortable indoor shoes for everyday. Do not let style be an issue. Most teachers wear suits with white sneakers for god's sake. Slip ons/clogs are handy and comfortable.
1x indoor gym shoes. These are for INDOOR USE ONLY.
1 x own slippers for indoor. I never really had these because who can carry slippers everywhere? However NO slippers at places (eg town hall etc) would even vaguely fit me.

Whatever else you want.

Even for a big foot like me I found a pair of snow overboot/gumshoe type things in my semi-rural town.

It's a real pain as an Australian as we only get 20kg luggage (back in the day, USA used to get 40kg, but that might have changed) and big shoes take up SPACE.

For me I am taking some black New Balance sneakers for school (comfortable, black), pair of black formal shoes, thongs (flip flips), wearing a pair of cross trainer/hiking boots, packing another pair of sturdier ones for longer hikes, pair of water shoes (mesh style that dry quick). We have a month holiday when we get there so I can order anything else online.

Basically you can ship stuff before you go so it will be there before or soon after you arrive.