Have you ever wondered what footwear the Japanese wear? Have you heard of geta, zori, uwabaki, surippa, setta, okobo, waraji and others? In this article, we will get to know 10 sandals, shoes, slippers, and other traditional footwear from Japan.
Traditional Japanese footwear is important in the history of Japan and the world. Many of the slippers we use today originated in Japan, so much so that in Maranhão, flip-flops are called Japanese. Ready for this adventure?
Table of Contents
Zori – The Japanese Flip-Flops
The zori [草履] are flat Japanese sandals with straps that can be made of rice straw, leather, lacquered wood, fabric, rubber, or synthetic material. The zori are basically Japanese slippers with Y-shaped straps similar to flip-flops.
Traditional zori are usually worn with a kimono along with a sock called tabi. They are open to prevent sweating on the feet due to Japan’s humid climate. The vast majority are made of rice straw, but some are made of wood.
It is believed that these slippers were created under the influence of China and Egypt, and their origins date back to the Heian Period (794-1192). Flip-flops were shamelessly inspired by zori; we recommend reading our article about zori and its similarity to flip-flops.
Geta – The Traditional Wooden Footwear
Geta [下駄] is a traditional Japanese sandal with a wooden base, similar to a clog; it serves to prevent the foot from coming into contact with the ground. They are worn with traditional Japanese clothing, such as kimono or yukata, or during the summer.
The geta are the oldest footwear in Japan, widely used in swamps and rice fields to avoid soiling clothes and feet; the teeth are suitable for mountainous and rugged terrain. Geta makes a noise when you walk that the Japanese call karankoron.
Currently, the geta is mainly worn by geisha; some modern footwear tries to imitate geta, but the traditional one is made of wood with one or two teeth. If you want to know more, we recommend reading our article about geta, the Japanese wooden footwear.
Surippa – Japanese Slip-On Slippers
Surippa [スリッパ] comes from the English word slip and literally means to slide. It gets this name because of its ease of being worn just by sliding the feet into it. It resembles shoes but is open at the bottom and sometimes at the front.
They also do not have closures or ties to tighten, with different sizes and models for indoor and outdoor use. Due to their ease of wearing, they are widely placed inside homes in the genkan to be used by visitors.
The surippa were initially created in the Meiji era to be worn over shoes to facilitate the entry of foreigners who are not accustomed to taking off their shoes to enter homes. Soon this idea transformed into widely used footwear.
Uwabaki – Traditional Slippers for Indoor Use
Uwabaki [上履き] are indoor slippers widely used in public places such as schools, gyms, offices, theaters, and other public offices. They are also called upper shoes or Uwagutsu [上靴].
Unlike surippa, it has some straps to hold onto the feet; it is open only at the top, resembling a bit of a moccasin. They are generally more seen in schools, especially in primary school, where students even write their names on them.
They are generally made of rubber and cover the toes and heels. These shoes are not always tied; some are just slip-ons, as schools encourage students to go barefoot in some situations.
Setta – Sandal with Leather Sole
Setta [雪駄] are Japanese sandals with a leather sole designed to provide a waterproof function; they have an iron tail on the bottom, are durable, moisture-resistant, and damage-resistant. The upper part is woven with bamboo, leather, or synthetic material.
Some claim it is a type of geta, but it resembles more zori popular among men. The name setta literally means snow footwear. The technique jikazuge fixes the leather bottom directly to the upper part.
In the past, the footwear was called Sekida and was created for the tea master Sen no Rikyū to be used in the garden of his tea house on snowy days. The name was changed from sekida to “setta” when it migrated to the eastern part of Japan.
Okobo – Japanese High-Heeled Clogs
Okobo [おこぼ] are thick wooden clogs, a type of high heel worn by geisha apprentices (maiko). Its name changes by region and can also be known as pokkuri, koppori, pokkuriko and bokkurigeta. This is because some have a hole in their sole with a bell to make noise.
Like the geta, its practical purpose is to avoid soiling the kimono. This type of footwear has been a fashion reference; the wood was often lacquered to create designs and art. In some cases, it is worn with a sock called tabi.
Children often wear this type of footwear, especially during the shichigosan festival. It has a large base cut from a single piece of wood, usually made of paulownia. The height of an okobo can reach up to 15 centimeters.
Waraji – The Poor Man’s Sandal
Waraji [草鞋] is a traditional Japanese footwear used in the past by common people and was made from straw ropes. The toes traditionally protrude a bit over the edge of the waraji.
The waraji are made with rice straw or hemp, cotton, and palm. Ropes made from the same material wrap around the ankles and secure the sole to the foot. Nowadays, waraji are still used in festivals and by Buddhist monks.
It should not be worn on hard or paved ground, as this wears it out and reduces its durability. This shoe was useful in the past when there were no paved roads; walking on the ground allowed soil to enter the straw’s crevices, thus reducing wear from friction.
Other Traditional Footwear from Japan
Kigutsu – Wooden Boots
Kigutsu [木靴] are wooden boots, either entirely or mainly made of wood, such as the bottom. It can be used to refer to other wooden shoes like asagutsu, geta, and other foreign-origin wooden shoes.
Shigai – Silk Shoes
Shigai [絲鞋] are silk thread shoes worn by minor royal families, children’s dance costumes, and young shrine maidens participating in Shinto ceremonies.
Jika-tabi – Socks Turning into Shoes
Jika-tabi was invented and popularized during the 1900s. These shoes are practically tabi socks with a more durable sole; they are generally worn by Japanese who work outdoors, such as jinrikisha.
Different Categories of Traditional Japanese Footwear
As promised, we showed 10 traditional footwear from Japan, but there are many others that were invented in Japan in modern times or variations of the traditional geta and zori. Below I will try to add a few more variations of these shoes:
We recommend reading our guide that talks about footwear in Japanese, sizes, and vocabulary. I hope you enjoyed our article; if you did, don’t forget to share and leave your comments.
- Taka-ashida geta – Wooden sandals made to be worn in the rain and bad weather;
- Hiyori geta / Masa geta – Traditional wooden sandals with two teeth used during good weather;
- Ashida [足駄] – High clogs; rain clogs;
- Yamageta [山下駄] – Mountain geta, rough geta, usually made of Japanese cedar;
- Hachitsuwari [八ツ割] – Clog without teeth;
- Kōshi [厚歯] – Clogs with thick teeth in the anterior-posterior direction;
- Sandaru [サンダル] – A term of Western origin to refer to some sandals from Japan;
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