Shoes

At first, I had no clue on what to write for my open subject blog. It wasn't until I was shopping at Shimamura when I realized what I would write about. Shoes, and more specifically the Japanese and their shoes.

Since being in Japan, I've bought 7 pairs of shoes, five of which I wear regularly. Back in America, I'm usually not into shoes that much. Usually when I saw a pair I would like, I would buy them but due to the lack of cute styles in my taste, it is very rare. I expected to be more into Japanese fashion, as I've always been into fashion that was in style but not the trend that most Americans take. I've done the complete opposite and while I have purchased some Japanese styled clothing, I tend to keep and eye out more for shoes.

I began to notice the different styles from Japanese girls on the street. The main thing I noticed is that almost always, women wear heels the most out of any style shoe that I've seen. Being a short person, I too like the feeling of being a little taller and the click of the heels feels like I have somewhere to be. I normally don't wear heels often though, because I usually cannot stand wearing heels for a long period of time and it's hard finding a pair without it looking too disco or platform like back in America. Japanese shoes are built for my feet and stature, so this is the most that I've ever worn heels for a long period of time.
As for the style, it's very different than what I would find in American shoe stores. For one, they are affordable and stylish, something that has been a rare find for me. Nowadays, stores in America focus on fancy shoes such as high heels meant for the prom. Even the everyday shoes are only advertised based on their brand name. Most of my shoes have been purchased at Shimamura, a retail store near the east gate of Kansai.  It's nice having a retail store nearby without having to search too far for something trendy from Japan. Overall, I've grown to love Japanese shoes and I think they will be the most in quantity and the heaviest items that I will be bringing back home. It's safe to say that I can donate all my shoes at home and replace them with my Japan trendy shoes.

What do they do?

It's like asking, give us an example of your daily life. Obviously it varies from person to person, culture to culture. But what Japanese people do is different, strange to some and comforting to others.
The Japanese are reserved, usually keeping to themselves on the streets and on public transportation. It's rare to see people making short conversations or even smiling and saying hello to each other. It's nothing bad but probably out of manner. However, it isn't abnormal for the first train on the weekend to be packed full of people from clubbing the night before.

I've especially noticed a difference with Japanese in retail versus America. When walking into an American retail store, you hear the usual greeting and being asked if you need help. In Japanese retail, you always hear the welcome and leave you alone. In some places, usually high end stores, the sales people talk about how well their product is or how great it would look on you. With my lack of knowledge in the Japanese language, I tend to just smile and nod and occasionally say あそですか！ But their body language and way of saying things makes me interested in the product and I become more intrigued to buy it because I could go back home and have someone translate or help me with it's use if needed.
I've heard from Japanese students "Oh, so and so is like that because they are from Osaka, Osaka people are like that." Just as Americans have something like southern hospitality, people from different prefectures and regions have their own characteristics apart from everyone else. There are the characteristics that Japanese share among themselves and there are the characteristics that people in a town, city, or prefecture share as well.

Something that I had mentioned in a previous post is how friendly the Japanese are towards foreigners. Some Americans are indifferent to foreigners, many are frustrated when they cannot understand their english or cannot speak it at all. I also get frustrated because while we are in Japan, I notice that some foreigners also don't make the effort to speak Japanese, or at least communicate with some compassion. Perhaps it's just the culture of people to be confident within their own language without trying to make a fool of themselves by making the effort of speaking a different language other than their own.