August 2010 Vol.19

THE BEST IN LEATHER SHOES
with a more historical interest in the nation will
no doubt have the wooden geta that served
people so well for so long at the forefront of
their minds. Others, perhaps younger mighteven conjure up in mind some of the weird andwonderful footwear seen on the nation’s youth
in places such as Harajuku and Shibuya.

least one member of the Imperial Family, andeven some of the much loved Tokyo DisneyLand and Disney Sea characters.

Most Japanese shoes are produced use
the hide of 3-year-old American cows, orsometimes animals a little older.

An added feature not seen in many leather
products overseas, but run-of-the-mill inJapan is the use of materials absorbed into
the leather to prevent fading (of color) or moldin what is, after all, a very humid country from
All, regardless of age though will at one time orlate Spring to early Autumn. This
another have in their mind’s eye,
not only makes shoes made in
the classic in leather shoe designs,
Japan perfect for those visiting
Classicleather
as worn by men and women thator staying for longer periods,
shoe designs, asRegal have specialized in since
but also those for those normally
their founding in 1902 whenworn by men andresident in many parts of East
Japanese men and women werewomen - REGAL
Asia, North Australia and indeed
looking West and shoe forms longhave
specialized
anywhere in which high levels of
seen on European feet began
humidity is a major factor.
insincetheircreeping into the archipelago.
founding in 1902.
An amiable man from the minuteTo limit the Regal company to
you meet him, Yuji Takekawa asclassical design as seen in theone of the senior men in the regalWest though would be to err
Corp. Sales & Marketing Division is a man with
big-time, for this is one company continuallya passion – for shoes, life and bringing the two
pushing the envelope of shoe design-meetstogether.
comfort-meets-fashion in its use of the samebase material humanity has turned to for eons
So what is it that makes a Japanese shoe– leather.
maker – different to those others produce?
And it is leather that many of Japan’s best
According to the man himself that one isshoe makers - REGAL included - have put
relatively easy as “being based in Japan,
footwear on famous domestic sports stars, atJapanese shoemakers quite simply know theIn reality, Japanese shoe making in modern
form dates back to the mid-nineteenth century
when the feet of the nation’s military had to betaken care of.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR SHOESA ND YO U R SHOE S W IL L TA K E CA RE OF YO U

Today, things have of course moved on a little
from the basic wrap around shoe with laces
that was Areni-1. And in Japan, the use ofleather, for so long far from a societal norm
is now widespread and is helping to bringincreasing amounts of attention to the ranksof top quality domestic shoe makers.
To many non-Japanese, when thinking of‘Japan’ and ‘footwear’ at the same time amyriad of images may spring forth. Those

DIANA

Ginza Kanematsu

G i n z a h e ad s t o r e

Ginza FUTABAYA

g i n z a f l ag s h i p s t o r eAGinza WASHINGTON
G i n z a h e ad s t o r eA

long-established 114-year-oldstore, since its establishment
Futagaya has already moved tousing European designs and colorsto develop their own shoes in boththe mens and womens range, andto date is the only shoe manufacturer
in Japan awarded the “MICAM
AWARD” from the Italian Footwear
Manufactures
Association.
By
producing shoes using California
Plat construction and Bolognese
construction methods, FUTABAYA’s
shoes to provide for extra comfort.
This shop is very popular with both
sexes due to its wide range of styles
and soft and casual designs.

Avery popular store with women of
all generations, each floor in Diana,
from the basement to the 6th floor, isarranged with a total of around 800pairs of shoes on display - each floor
offering a different theme, including
modern trends and the femininity of thecustomers. Floor designs are rotatedevery three months. Diana’s range ishuge with sizes available in the 19.5
- 27.0 cm range. Staff speak English,
and won first prize for their services.
Diana’s new line-ups are often featured
in Japanese fashion magazines as
this brand really is at the forefront offootwear fashions.

popular women’s shoe shop forladies of all ages although themain theme of the store is centeredon ‘elegance for mature women’. Theirstrongest line is their original Japanese
made shoes entitled ‘Ginza Kanematsu’famed for their neat, graceful andcomfortable forms. The store is wellreputed for their pursuit of beauty, anduse of high quality materials, so much sothat their shoes are purchased by manyfamilies from generation to generation.
Ginza Kanematsu also offer semicustom-made shoes with consultancy
in both English and Chinese available inthe store.

S

ituated very close to the prestigious Ginza 4-chome crossing
and established in 1940, Ginza
Washington is now celebratingits 77th anniversary. The fi rst
basement carries women’s shoes,
while the second basement level ishome to men’s shoes. The interior
complements the area’s highlevels of sophistication, displaysof high-quality shoes and bags,
proving their long standing in thisindustry and you should not misstheir original lines for both men
and women in a wide range ofstylish designs.

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1 7,000KaiFor thousands of years mankind hasused leather to make his shoes.
Ever since the so-called Areni-1
shoe, a 5,500 year old preserved
piece of footwear discovered in Armenia
was determined to be the oldest item offootwear yet found made primarily fromanimal skin, older even than the pyramids in
Egypt, so has man in the 55 centuries sincerecognized the value of using leather as afoot covering.

August 2010 Vol.19

THE BEST IN LEATHER SHOES
shoes Japanese want to but, their feet, theirtastes, as the average Japanese customer isvery strict with his or her requirements” and“we have to meet those requirements (day in,day out).”
What is it though that has made REGAL thehousehold name in Japan – and even somelocations in Europe – that it enjoys today?
That answer rests quite firmly on the skill andmanner in which the shoes are produced, andthe use of ‘Goodyear Welt’ stitching – aroundthe sole /leather join to effectively double seal
the shoe to enhance durability and overallappearance. “Goodyear Welt is a stitchingpattern few factories in the world are able
to produce, and these are primarily smaller
factories based in the UK. As such, with Regal
now able to use the Goodyear Welt stitching
form on large numbers of shoes this gives us
an advantage that we are very proud of.”

GINZA TAIGA KUTSU KOBO

A

store specialising in shoes
made to order, using the‘Union Construction’ pattern andan insole carefully made from a
medical foot care perspective;
each pair of shoes takes around 2to 3 months to complete.

Pride it must be said well earned over a century
and more of effort striving to produce some ofthe very best shoes in the nation – but also inworking to maintain and increase standards
to match the world and expectations we livewith at the start of the 21st century. The man
who once wore the Areni-1 shoe would no
doubt be more than a little envious!

Japan leather and Leather goods Industries Association:www.jlia.or.jp
Writer: Mark Buckton
Photographs: (official / REGAL)

Ginza Yoshinoya

G i n z a 6 - c h o m e h e ad s t o r eEstablished in 1907, this is theoldest shoe shop in Ginza,
dealing in both men’s and women’sfootwear. Most shoes are made inJapan, and the company has nevergiven up pursuing comfortablefi tting shoes - in business now forover 100 years.
Selling original shoes made invarious patterns with somethingfor everyone, Yoshinoya staff will
never lack patience should you
wish to try on all the shoes inthe store.

Yuji Takekawa - one of the senior men in the regal Corp. Sales & Marketing Division -a man with a passionREGAL SHOES

G i n z a S u k i ya b a s h i s h o p

R

EGAL started with traditional
shoes, and over time haveearned the unwavering trust of theircustomers. As ‘the’ shoe brandrepresenting Japanese men’s shoes,
Regal serves customers of allgenerations. Quality is guaranteed,as all their products are manufactured
with care and attention to detail.
REGAL Stores can be found allover Japan, and each carries awide range of shoes, from businessshoes to more casual lines; theirfriendly, polite staff always on handto assist you in selecting the best
shoes for you.

Feet are initially measured using a3D Scanner in order that a pair ofshoes perfect for only one pair offeet in the world is produced in themost comfortable form possible.
Only Japanese is available in thisstore, but your own unique andperfect pair of shoes is guaranteed
to be there.

GINZA SCOTCH GRAIN

Matsudo Shoes

M

true shop with taste thatspecialises in men’s shoes anddeals only in their own original shoes
manufactured in Tokyo through anin-house manufacturing process
every step of the way.

Aatsudo is all about homeliness in the made-in-Japan
shoes they offer, but they are also
known for the repair services theirexperienced and highly skilledworkmen can carry out.

One of the most distinctive
features of their shoes includes
the fact that they are made using
Goodyear Welt stitching to help
achieve durability and comfort.
There are many regular customers
at this shop, with sales and repair
numbers almost the same and themajority of their customers fromthe business sector.

Matsudo even offers uniqueservices matched nowhere elseby providing the remodelling offootwear corre sponding to feettroubles caused by disease orinjury. You can even bring in apair of shoes you have bought
at a different store and request
remodelling to perfectly fit yourown feet.