Maximilian Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Hi everyone, I'm writing from Osaka Japan, part of my 3 week vacation in Japan. All I can say is wow! What a place. I strongly recommend that you all visit. The hospitality, the food, the culture, the uniqueness, I can go on and on about how cool it is here but you better experience it yourself. Anyway, regarding the common interest we all share...heels, I must say that this is a high heelers paradise. I've NEVER encountered a place on the globe with so many women wearing heels or boots for that matter. The most common fashion sight here is women wearing thigh length skirts and knee high boots with various heel heights, from flats to 5+ inch heels. Styles span from classy to crazy. There is a heel style to fit anyones taste. I literally see hundreds of women a day in heels and boots. It's pure eye candy for the high heel lover. Lots of women wear skinny jeans and boots over them as well. Rarely do the women hide their boots under their pants. It's as though they are proud to show the boots they are wearing. A good indication for the Japanese preference to were boots is the very young age they start wearing them. I see lots of 5-10 years old wearing calf-knee high boots, some with heels already. Cowboy boots in full view are abundant and are a very popular style. Another indication with the Japanese womans addiction to heels is the totally inpracticle places they wear heels to. I've gone up a hiking trail to a mountain. I was wearing hiking shoes and the steps/path leading to the shrines on top were steep and I had to catch my breath. In the meantime, I see women in 3-4 inch heels, some of them in stilettos (!!!??) doing the same climb! That climb would wreck havoc on the shoe/foot and yet they still do the hike in heels. And we're not talking about 1 or even a few women. We're talking lots! Add to the boots the endless variations of high heel shoes on womens' feet. The styles are too varied to list, truly amazing. I haven't seen men in heels though but I've seen men in crazy fashion styles that would make a guy in high heels look like a nun. Lots of men in boots over their pants though. I doubt I'd get any response from wearing even my craziest outfit here. A - because the japanese have seen it all. B - Because I'm a foreigner. Finally, rest assured that I'm taking as many photos as I can here of the various styles but like I've said earlier, I could fill hard drives with pictures of women in heels/boots I see here every day. I need to keep most of the space for pics of my trip, you know, scenery other than heels/boots. Once I get back from my trip and get around to it, I'll start posting pics. Until then, Good night from Japan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HHfanatic Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Waiting for your pics..:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shoe Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 You should try central London... Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roz Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I agree that heels are a lot more popular in Japan. We do eventually borrow some styles from there (short plaid skirts and clumpy boots etc) but they're generally very experimental and wear some really sharp outfits. You do see some really nice heels in London, and I'm not sure you'd see many Louboutins or European shoes over there, but they do have amazing taste in heels and they're VERY popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielp6406 Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Very nice trip indeed! Japan is a place I dream to visit one day to see it's nature and electronic gadgets... Now thanks to you I have another reason to visit: Womens in heels ! I hope you will create a special gallery in this forum for your pictures ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingpat Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Hi everyone, Another indication with the Japanese womans addiction to heels is the totally inpracticle places they wear heels to. I've gone up a hiking trail to a mountain. I was wearing hiking shoes and the steps/path leading to the shrines on top were steep and I had to catch my breath. In the meantime, I see women in 3-4 inch heels, some of them in stilettos (!!!??) doing the same climb! That climb would wreck havoc on the shoe/foot and yet they still do the hike in heels. And we're not talking about 1 or even a few women. We're talking lots! I had this same experience while I was in China last summer. Women wear heels everywhere! I never knew what to think of it, maybe heels are just normal everyday wear in Asia for women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximilian Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 Well, I'm back from my vacation in Japan. I had an amazing time and will definitely go back, next time with my hh boots for sure since I came to the conclusion that a guy, especially a foreigner in Japan can just about get away with anything. Japanese themselves dress crazy in public and nobody says a word. It's very crowded (around 80 percent of Japanese terrain is mountains and the 127 million Japanese make do and live in the other 20 percent) and no one takes the time to examine anyone elses attire. It's as though each Japanese person wraps him/herself in a bubble and takes no interest in their surroundings, only occupied with themselves. Maybe that's why many dress crazy to try to get some sort of reaction. Japanese almost automaticaly view foreigners as a strange bunch anyway so imagine a foreigner male in heels + Japanese public social norm behaviour of minding their own business and voilla! the perfect heeling spot. It would be a rare case if someone laughed if they saw you in heels and a 99.9999 percent chance that NO ONE will approach you or even talk to you about your outfit (which would be a bummer for those of you who want a reaction). If you would get a reaction it would come from another foreigner or from a drunk Japanese person in a club. In that case you won't understand what they say (unless you speak Japanese) or it might be a compliment because from my time there, radical fashion is acceptable. I haven't seen any males in heels but I've seen males in dresses (probably some Anime fantasy) and in flat yet extremely pointed toe shoes/boots.Skinny jeans were all over on the guys. In some places in Tokyo (Harajuku/Shibuya) people expect to see crazy fashions and go there especially to encounter those. I saw LOTS of crazy outfits. To sum it up, if you ever find yourselves going to Japan, don't forget to pack your high heels with you. I wished I had mine but the nature of my trip (lots of travelling, had to pack as light as possible as well as first time in Japan so I didn't know what to expect) and the company I was with made heel wearing improper. When I get to it, I'll post pics in the gallery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn HH Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 It seems that the Aisan women have always gone for wearing heels for everything and everywhere. Will be looking for your pics. Cheers--- Dawn HH High Heeled Boots Forever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy N. Heels Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 It seems that the Aisan women have always gone for wearing heels for everything and everywhere... Dawn HH I agree that heels are a lot more popular in Japan. We do eventually borrow some styles from there (short plaid skirts and clumpy boots etc) but they're generally very experimental and wear some really sharp outfits. You do see some really nice heels in London, and I'm not sure you'd see many Louboutins or European shoes over there, but they do have amazing taste in heels and they're VERY popular. Well, I'm back from my vacation in Japan. I had an amazing time and will definitely go back, next time with my hh boots for sure since I came to the conclusion that a guy, especially a foreigner in Japan can just about get away with anything. Japanese themselves dress crazy in public and nobody says a word. It's very crowded (around 80 percent of Japanese terrain is mountains and the 127 million Japanese make do and live in the other 20 percent) and no one takes the time to examine anyone elses attire. It's as though each Japanese person wraps him/herself in a bubble and takes no interest in their surroundings, only occupied with themselves. Maybe that's why many dress crazy to try to get some sort of reaction. ... Japanese public social norm behaviour of minding their own business... It would be a rare case if someone laughed if they saw you in heels and a 99.9999 percent chance that NO ONE will approach you or even talk to you about your outfit... If you would get a reaction it would come from another foreigner or from a drunk Japanese person in a club. In that case you won't understand what they say (unless you speak Japanese) or it might be a compliment because from my time there, radical fashion is acceptable. I haven't seen any males in heels but I've seen males in dresses (probably some Anime fantasy) and in flat yet extremely pointed toe shoes/boots. Skinny jeans were all over on the guys. ...(T)he company I was with made heel wearing improper... There can be no doubt that in Japan and many other Asian countries they have adopted high heels as well as other Western fashions and customs. But while I have not been to Japan in over 40 years, I very strongly suspect that the women there have evolved the high heel fashion and given it a much more distinctive Japanese flavor or sytle, if you please. Again, while I haven't been to Japan in a rather long time, I would be hesitant to make a statement like "radical fashion is acceptable" without first making an in-depth study of their culture. To my mind, what you are reporting sounds like a culture that is evolving or in the process of trying to develop a distinctive style or fashion that more correctly reflects the modern Japanese culture that we find today. Assuming that your report is correct, what you may be observing is a Japan that is somewhat "in search of itself", as it were. If this is correct and you are at the beginning stages of this search, it might take several years or even decades for things to settle down. On the the other hand, if what you observed is in the middle to latter stages of their "search", then we might expect a distinctive Japanese cultural fashion shift to take place and settle out in the next few years. I would love to hear from someone on this who either currently has been living in Japan for several years, or else knows and understands the Japanese culture well. Keep on stepping, Guy N. Heels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yozz Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Having spent quite some time in Japan over the past 20 years, I have a somewhat different opinion. The Japanese have a very rigid educational system. A child with any deviation of the standard can be kicked from school. I read a story of a child that had from itself non-black hair and had severe problems, because the teachers thought she had dyed her hair. It is only natural that many, after leaving school will rebel by doing something completely different. That is more a search for personal identity than collective identity. The Japanese women are extremely fashion sensitive. For the big fashion houses their Japanese outlets are super important. It is really a pleasure for the eye to walk through certain parts of Tokyo. Indeed, many high heels, even though many seem to have problems walking in them properly. Often their right foot is far from straight. I have seen this only with Japanese women. This fashion sense is mostly with the women. I have seen couples visiting a temple at New Years day with the wife in a beautiful kimono and the husband in slob. Nobody seems to care. Things are different when you go to the villages. I have been in a village where the little children were really looking at me from a distance and were telling each other "gaijin, gaijin" and finally one got enough courage and approached me and said "herro" and then ran away quickly. You didn't see fashionable people there. Just hard working people. Y. Raise your voice. Put on some heels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximilian Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 It is really a pleasure for the eye to walk through certain parts of Tokyo. Indeed, many high heels, even though many seem to have problems walking in them properly. Often their right foot is far from straight. I have seen this only with Japanese women. I noticed this as well, as if it was some sort of genetic problem although not all women had a problem walking straight. It's true that all the students, boys and girls look the same in their school uniforms. However, when not in school they do (especially the women) have varying fashion tastes. After observing Japanese women in various cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima etc..) during my 3 week vacation, I've noticed a few trends: 1 - women dress more feminine than their North American/European female counterparts. Like I've mentioned earlier, their feminine fashion stayle doesn't always seem like the logical choice for the activity they do, such as hiking up a mountain trail in high heels and a short dress. 2- Mini skirts/skirts are very popular, maybe because Japanese women are used to wear them from a very early age as part of their school uniforms. 3 - The majority of heels I've seen were 3-4 inches high. Style varied a lot, from block heels to stiletto, lots of 80's style heels. 4 - Lots of women wore stocking/socks just above the knee so that they were bare legged from there up to the mini skirt they wore. 5 - Boots were VERY popular, flats and high heeled boots. Cowboy boots were everywhere, most cowboy boots were worn with skirts of varied length as well as with skinny jeans/leggings. The riding boot style was worn by many women. Some even wore actual riding boots, even the cheaper rubber ones. Finally, I've also seen many women wear calf/knee high engineer boots. In general, women took pride in showing off their boots, not hiding them under pants. 6 - Spotting the single women is easy since the single women usually dress more colorful and extreme. The married women, while still feminine and stylish, dress more conservatively. Youth is celebrated in Japan especially the late teens/early twenties when young Japanese possibly have the only time in their lives to have more personal freedom and responsibility. Once they find a career job, get married, and have children, it seems like they lose their individuality and become another "clone" who works very hard and looks like all of the joys of life have been sucked out of him/her. You see so many Japanese in the morning and evening in the subway/train station who simply look exhausted. I felt bad for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielp6406 Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Greatings Maximilian and welcome back :-) Thank you for your resume on the Japanese society. Very interesting and refreshing ! Japan is a country I would very much like to visit one day. Were you there on business or pleasure ? You mentionned a boot called "engineer boots". Sorry to say that I don't have any idea what they are... Do you have any picture of such a style you could post here ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vector Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Maximillian, Thanks for your reports. One question, platforms? I've heard/read that Japanese women wear outrageous platforms in the street. Is that true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 well I'd say that is so true, just look @ my avitar (in black, which I'm also now wearing as I type this) a lot of them wear demonias just like these:smile: I also just stomped on one of 3 large plastic bottles with them a few minutes ago, love it when I can look good wearing my demonia boots while making stuff like that smaller to recycle as well (happy EARTH day) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 they do wear them- a lot of them like the style I have (my avitar in black which I'm now wearing as I write this) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximilian Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 I was there on vacation. Trust me, the LAST thing on my mind was work. I definitely recommend a visit there. 2-3 weeks would be ideal. Engineer boots: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineer_boots I haven't seen a lot of platform boots to be honest, didn't seem to be a popular style. Cowboy/western boots were by far the most popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 oh BTW max, your looking really great in your latest outfits in your pics, you can pass off ANY style with high heel boots, I'll tell you, keep it up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielp6406 Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Engineer boots: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineer_boots Now I see they are riding boots or motorcycle boots. I never heard the term "engineer's boots" before. This is why I was asking. Thanks for the link ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 a company called WESCO is KNOWN for their great thigh high engineer boots, called "BIG BOSS" (the "BOSS" is the shorter knee lenght,)- you can see them on www.hotboots.com, a lot of the guys love to wear them, plus some killer thigh high western boots with 4-5 inch heels from a few other guys too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielp6406 Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 a company called WESCO is KNOWN for their great thigh high engineer boots, called "BIG BOSS" (the "BOSS" is the shorter knee lenght,)- you can see them on www.hotboots.com, a lot of the guys love to wear them, plus some killer thigh high western boots with 4-5 inch heels from a few other guys too! Greatings demoniaplatforms :-) Thank you for this interesting link ! I like the boots shown here http://www.hotboots.com/pix608.html They are very nice ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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