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Traditional Japanese footwear
 In a country where everyone must remove their shoes before formally entering
most buildings it's convenient to use footwear that is easy to slip on and off.
Such is the case in Japan where slip-on shoes made of straw, wood or other
materials have been used for centuries. Though the Japanese began wearing
western style shoes during the late 19th century they nonetheless never lost
their affection for traditional slip-on shoes such as zori and geta.
Zori and geta are similar in that both types of shoes are
held in place by a thong running between the toes. However, while zori
tend to resemble modern sandals, geta on the other hand are quite
distinct with the soles of the shoes being elevated several inches above the
ground by two (or even one!) wooden slats called "teeth." Geta thus
help raise the feet above the ground in order to protect the feet and kimono
from becoming soiled.
  In the past, wooden geta were especially
popular with Japanese children who wore them everywhere and in any weather (geta
were even used to make
geta ice skates!).
The tradition of children and geta
has survived into modern times with many Japanese kindergartens providing their
students
geta to wear to and from school and while at play in the
schoolyard. Our little daughter Emily loves to wear her geta each
day to school along with many other kids at her kindergarten. The picture
at right (click to enlarge)
shows Emily (left side) with a neighborhood friend
waiting for the kindergarten bus. Both girls are wearing geta. While most
foreigners may suspect geta to be clumsy and difficult to wear I can
testify to watching kids run, jump and even climb stairs with ease in old
fashioned wooden geta. Zori on the other hand are today most
frequently seen on the feet of women in kimono. Zori are normally
worn with pure white toe-slotted tabi socks which together with the
kimono and obi complete the traditional Japanese costume for women. Some
people believe that the popular western thong sandals (aka "flip flops") trace
their origin to the Japanese zori. If so, then surfers and beach
bums the world over owe a debt of gratitude to this very special and unique form
of traditional Japanese footwear.
"Piko Piko" Sandals
 One
of the delights of childhood in Japan is the wearing of piko piko sandals
or "squeaky shoes" as they are sometimes called. The words "piko
piko" are how the Japanese describe the
rubber ducky squeak the shoes make as the child walks. The sound of
piko piko sadaru is as common a summertime sound in Japanese parks as the
whir of cicada and the happy laughter of children. Piko piko
sandals have been popular in Japan since at least the 1960's, as my wife Yumiko
claims to have enjoyed her pair when she was a little girl. Please click
here to see piko piko sandals available for purchase within our
eBay store The Old Tokaido. | 
