Japanese Sneakers Making their Presence Known with Innovative Designs; Drawing on Retro Inspiration for New Styles

By Hiromi Kanekita / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

1:00 JST, October 31, 2024

Japanese brand sports sneakers have been growing in popularity among enthusiasts. Old models of running shoes have found new life as walking shoes, and they seem to be gaining attention because they are both fashionable and easy to walk in.

The atmos Sendagaya shop, a sneaker specialty store in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, is lined with a colorful array of sneakers. The shop manager said foreign tourists often visit the store, and “many of them come here for Japanese brand sneakers.”

Among Kobe-based Asics Corp.’s products, which are prominently featured at the store, popular models include the Gel-Kayano 14, based on a model which hit shelves in 2008, and the GT-2160, which features a design reminiscent of a series released in the 2010s.

An employee of Asics Japan Corp. said they go well with Y2K fashion, which incorporates trends from around 2000, and “normcore” fashion, which emphasizes average, unflashy fashion.

Mizuno Corp., headquartered in Osaka, also revamped its running shoes in the late 1990s and 2000s. The top-of-the-line Wave Prophecy series, which combines stability and cushioning in the soles, is very popular. “It has a reputation for being stable, easy to walk in and having an innovative design,” said an employee at the Mizuno Tokyo flagship store.

Showa retro popularity

Sneakers with a retro design are also drawing in customers.

Tokyo-based Okamoto Industries, Inc.’s Panther sneaker brand was launched in 1964, the same year as the first Tokyo Olympics, and the Panther Dera, first released in 1968, has become a flagship model. This fall’s new line features vibrant black and yellow shoes, as well other color combinations. The brand name written in katakana letters on the shoes creates a Showa era (1926-1989) retro feeling.

MoonStar Co., of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, a long-established company that handles student shoes and other products, introduced the Jaguar Jog 1, based off of sports shoes. The retro vibe, with mesh and raised materials combined with lightweight, thickly cushioned soles, has been recreated to suit modern lifestyles.