Isetan Men’s shoe department is legendary among shoe enthusiasts for good reason, here you will find one of the world’s largest collections of classic men’s footwear from manufacturers worldwide, over 1,000 different models in total. Shoegazing enthusiasts from across the globe are frequent visitors.
I have visited Paul Stuart and Barney’s main stores in New York, as well as major British shoe brands’ flagship stores in London, nothing quite rivals Isetan Men’s shoe department when it comes to its range, price or customer service. Even within Japan itself there are impressive shoe departments at department stores like World Footwear Gallery and Trading Post, Isetan Men’s stands out.
At Isetan’s large luxury department store’s men’s house, one floor below street level, you will be met by an impressive shoe department. Fancy sneakers and casual shoes line one wall, at checkout is another featuring shoe care products, other than that classic shoes are everywhere and organized mostly by price order starting with those for EUR150 until finally there is a separate room dedicated to Isetan sourced samples as well as those produced bespoke shoemakers Isetan cooperates with.
Japanese stores tend to be very well staffed, and Isetan stands out among them with over 50 personnel both behind and on the floor. Japanese stores in general tend to have plenty of staff manning them all day long. Isetan’s staff is particularly courteous and helpful. You should almost never have to wait for assistance, with many knowledgeable associates readily available, when they didn’t know an answer they asked someone more senior in an instant, rather than try answering something themselves without ever actually knowing the answer themselves. I had several interactions with staff, whenever I didn’t know something they quickly asked someone more senior for help instead of attempting to answer myself instead if necessary rather than trying to give an answer themselves without knowing anything if necessary.
Reasons behind Isetan being home to the world’s largest selection of classic men’s shoes vary, interest for them has surged over the last decade in Japan due to aggressive shopping culture, it also provides financial muscle to purchase large volumes from manufacturers, with buyers from all around the globe coming through its doors, plus it gives buyers access to customization services from manufacturers, virtually all classic shoe makers want their models available here as a result.
Shoegazing does not focus on fashion footwear, so we won’t go further into detail here, rather, starting on the first wall along the long side is where domestic entry level brands such as Goodyear welted shoes can be found. Considering Japan’s equivalents of Loake 1880, Herring Classic or Meermin, more affordable brands can be found across all price points and budget items are not excluded either. All these shoes were not manufactured exclusively in Japan though, China, Vietnam and Taiwan are among the many countries from which many are made.
As it may be somewhat perplexing that several shoes advertised as being “Made in Japan,” when in reality they only recently finished here, it is surprising to me that several labels indicate this information is inaccurate, considering they usually provide accurate details. Goodyear welted shoes are usually considered 8/10 handmade while those featuring machine-made sole stitching are 9/10 or 90% handmade and when handmade sole stitching takes place it becomes 10/10 or 100% handcrafted.
Regarding Made in Japan labeling and the lower price levels, you need a great deal of knowledge in order to distinguish accurately between what’s real and fake. With many items produced in cheaper Asian countries though, you get quite an amazing bang for your buck. Within the price range of about €220-530 (roughly 30000-50000 yen), many Japanese shoe brands produce shoes specifically aimed at this price point, or provide cheaper lines within larger manufacturers that produce footwear at higher price points.
Regal, Shetland Fox, Union Imperial and Otsuka are among the brands offering shoes in this price point. There are hand welted models for approximately EUR320, while their stamp states “Made in Japan,” most are produced elsewhere in Asia while being finished off here in Japan.
Indonesian brand Jalan Sriwijaya is another well recognized name in Japan despite not hailing from here, their prices start around EUR200 and represent excellent value.
Noteworthy is the rarity of finding shoes above size UK 8-8,5 since Japanese have small feet. I wore size UK10,5 myself and only encountered random models available to me.
As one moves further into the shoe department, they find midrange shoes. Here is where international manufacturers of Goodyear welted shoes such as Carmina, Crockett & Jones Church’s Magnanni Alden begin making appearances. Because import taxes for leather shoes in Japan are so high, European and American shoes tend to cost significantly more than at home, nonetheless they remain relatively popular as many Western brands in this segment are highly esteemed here.
But I must confess it seems strange that Japanese consumers frequently opt for brands like Carmina with its celastic heel stiffeners and other elements which would likely displease Europeans when purchasing shoes over €530 (69,000 yen), when Japanese manufactured Central Shoes, Otsuka Shoten or Miagi Kogyo can offer fine Goodyear welted lines at lower prices. These shoes, produced by both Japanese with more experience and newcomers alike, were nearly on par with European premium brands such as Edward Green or Gaziano & Girling when it comes to quality of production, yet remaining very cost effective here in Japan. When it comes to ready-to-wear products produced in Japan they meet demanding standards with regards to production while remaining very budget friendly here.
Isetan goes beyond selling shoes. It hosts frequent events in store, such as trunk shows featuring both ready-to-wear brands and custom manufacturers like Yohei Fukuda as well as other types of events like patina painting live with Magnanni or Edward Green having trunk shows, owner Hillary Freeman even held several seminars where she discussed both of their histories in one of the department store restaurants.
At their location they offer premium RTW shoes from Vass to Silvano Lattanzi, everything from Vass up to Silvano Lattanzi is here. Their collection spans from Vass through Silvano Lattanzi, including Enzo Bonafe, JM Weston, John Lobb Paris Edward Green Anthony Cleverley Clematis Ginza Stefano Bemer Corthay Napolitano Rachelle. In many cases imported goods run over €2000 (260 000yen). Additionally, Yohei Fukuda samples can also be found here, it truly offers shoe candy.
Exploring Isetan Men’s lower floor can be an unforgettable experience if you visit Tokyo don’t miss it.
Later this spring, there will be reports from World Footwear Gallery and Yohei Fukuda that focus on buyer’s guides, I’ll then wrap up my articles from last year’s Japan trip with a comprehensive retail guide of Tokyo that includes some stores I’ve already written about but also spotlighting many new ones.
