Shoes

[ljoekelsoey4]

with regard to 'flipflops' (i call them runners) that you are to wear in school during class, do they need to be white? or rather is white the 'norm'?

[Kirari]

with regard to 'flipflops' (i call them runners) that you are to wear in school during class, do they need to be white? or rather is white the 'norm'?

This is what we mean by flip flops:


Surely you mean something else for wearing in the classroom. Runners: as in sneakers/trainers/running shoes/tennis shoes/whatever?


In that case, yeah, do they need to be white?

[ljoekelsoey4]

with regard to 'flipflops' (i call them runners) that you are to wear in school during class, do they need to be white? or rather is white the 'norm'?

This is what we mean by flip flops:


Surely you mean something else for wearing in the classroom. Runners: as in sneakers/trainers/running shoes/tennis shoes/whatever?


In that case, yeah, do they need to be white?

oh right, haha no i dont wear flip-flops, got a phobia of them :L:L yeh runners/sneakers thats the one i meant (nice btw!)

[MapleVic]

My feet are 30cm and I find it difficult to find shoes here. I did find a big pair of snow boots though, so yay!

I bought with me:
2x runners
1x dress shoes (wore these at TOA and maybe 10 times since as I am just in my first year)
1x thongs/flip-flops.

are you american? in the UK a thong is really skimpy underwear :L

I'm an American, and I call them flip-flops (and thongs are skimpy underwear). But I believe that in other parts of the country, flip-flops are called thongs. And isn't that true for Australia, too? Separated by a common language, blah, blah, blah...

*off-topic for a sec* But even within the US, since our origins are a mash-up of so many different nationalities and influences, it can be so different from place to place. My favorite instance was when I was at my friend's parents' house in Pennsylvania - we were sitting down to dinner, and they asked if we needed anything else out of the 'reefer'. OMG, we laughed so hard (if you don't know, reefer refers to a certain illegal drug), especially since his parents are so straight-laced and conservative. Obviously they meant refrigerator, but damn it was funny.

So yeah, shoes! Gotta bring some thongs. A lotta thongs.

This comment reminded me of this Life after the B.O.E. comic.

http://www.lifeaftertheboe.com/2010/02/16/usa-vs-uk/

[ljoekelsoey4]

This comment reminded me of this Life after the B.O.E. comic.

http://www.lifeaftertheboe.com/2010/02/16/usa-vs-uk/

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA fantastic :L

[firefly06]

Would something like this be ok for inside the school shoes?

[mattclough]

I think it depends on your school, but I have yet to meet anyone that couldn't wear pretty much anything within reason on their feet at school. I wear some white Anitsuka Tigers with red and blue stripes. Other teachers wear sneakers of all varieties, some wear nice shoes. The gym/normal indoor shoe thing is weird, and I don't think I'll ever fully understand it. Something that I've learned about Japan thus far though is that video games imitate normal Japanese lifestyle. Think of Mario in his suits, or Link in his various outfits... I'm sure there's a better example, but the point is, Japanese people dress appropriately for every situation for the sake of the situation. You will see many different uniforms in Japan, each one made to emphasize something about the wearer. Students are almost always in uniform, people going on a hike look like they're about to scale everest, parents give their children little propeller hats, bikers go out looking like they're ready for the Tour de France, etc. The school floors are just as clean as the gym floor, so the only explanation I've come up with for the need for separate gym and work shoes is that it's the gym, so you need gym shoes.

[teabot]

for the posts on this page about shoe appropriateness:

white runners/sneakers/tennis shoes are fine. black ones are equally fine. it doesn't even have to be pure black or pure white. mine have some light pink accents and they don't look out of place. wildly colored shoes are not common, but i don't think anyone would say anything to you about your shoes as long as you don't go crazy.

for women, flats are also acceptable, firefly.

many of the teachers i've worked with will wear sandal-like shoes in school, too. be careful, though as "sandal-like shoe" doesn't mean flip-flops. you should always have socks on under your shoes. i think something similar to birkenstocks where there are straps, but nothing has to go between toes. many Japanese female teachers have sandal-y shoes with a bit of a heel as well (like a slight wedge), but i think that has more to do with Japanese women loving their heeled shoes. personally i would avoid heels because standing for hours in heels sucks.

people going on a hike look like they're about to scale everest

except for those crazy girls who still wear heels and stockings. i swear some Japanese girls are insane.

The school floors are just as clean as the gym floor, so the only explanation I've come up with for the need for separate gym and work shoes is that it's the gym, so you need gym shoes.

my understanding is that it's more about not marking up the gym floor, which was the same for gym shoes at the schools i attended in the US. just make sure that your soles aren't black and won't mark the floor. personally i don't spend tons of time in the gym where i'm actually active or anything, so when i happen to go visit the clubs practicing there (just to watch, not to participate) or for other ceremonies*, more often than not i just stick my shoes in the cubby and go inside in socks/stocking feet. if you don't want to do that, you should be able to grab a pair of gym slippers.

*lesser ceremonies where i'm just standing in the back/no one's looking at me. for graduation/entrance ceremonies, there has tended to be a tarp put down in the gym which means normal inside shoes are fine. i wore my normal mostly-white shoes, but i was the only person who didn't have dark shoes, so oops on that.

[mattclough]

for the posts on this page about shoe appropriateness:
white runners/sneakers/tennis shoes are fine. black ones are equally fine. it doesn't even have to be pure black or pure white. mine have some light pink accents and they don't look out of place. wildly colored shoes are not common, but i don't think anyone would say anything to you about your shoes as long as you don't go crazy.

Yeah, right. One of my teachers wears leather moccasins with fringe though, and I've seen some teachers with sneakers that are almost entirely pink. Just remember, the Japanese workplace is not the place you want to stick out too much.

[akarih]

Would something like this be ok for inside the school shoes?

yes this will be perfectly fine

[Queequeg]

I own one pair of combat boots and one pair of dress shoes worn only for the interview and some weddings.

This is going to be a dramatic shift for me, hah.

[Takoyaki]

anyone bringing more than one pair of formal leather shoes or is more than one overkill??

[ChottoMonkey]

anyone bringing more than one pair of formal leather shoes or is more than one overkill??

I'm bringing 2 pair one in black and one in oxblood. I guess it depends on how often you wear those kind of shoes.

[japangirlcmw]

Everyone, thank you so much for your advice! I'm a womens size 9.5/10, so I know that I will need to really pack savvy, and bring what I need with me. Darn my huge feet. At least they are narrow. Lol.

[Gizmotech]

Okay, here's what I brought:
1 pair of combat boots (I like hiking )
1 pair of Blundstones
3 pairs of dress shoes (1 indoor, 2 outdoor)
1 pair of sneakers (outdoor)
1 set of sandals

For winter/wet the fashion out where I am is big, insulated, wellies. You can buy them everywhere, in every size imaginable, and noone cares that you look like a moron. The other thing to note, I LOVE my dress shoes (very very comfortable) which is why I brought so many. One of em is my school shoes and the teachers love taking the piss out of the fact that I'm the only person wearing dress shoes inside. Everyone else wears slippers, sandals, sneakers, in various states of disrepair.

If you're going to be doing ES, bring indoor sneakers. In fact, if you plan on using your sneakers outside, bring a second pair for indoors as well.