Sneakers & Shoes from Japan

What makes the Japanese sneaker market different?

Japan-exclusive releases, Japanese brands, and a resale market that lists everything in centimetres. Global brands release Japan-only colourways and collaborations through Japanese shops — atmos, mita sneakers, BEAMS and other select shops — and Japanese brands such as ASICS, Onitsuka Tiger, Mizuno and Moonstar sell their fullest ranges at home. Sold-out pairs move to Mercari, Yahoo Auctions and Rakuma, listed by model, centimetre size and box state. Those channels deliver inside Japan only, and Japanese shop websites want a Japanese address, so an overseas buyer orders through a proxy: OneMall provides the address, pays in yen and forwards from our Japan warehouse.

How do Japanese sneaker sizes convert?

Japanese listings state the size in centimetres — 27.0cm, 27.5cm — which is the length printed on the box and the tongue label of every major brand, so there is nothing to convert once you know your centimetre size. Take it from the label of a pair you own rather than from a conversion chart, because brands differ. Width is stated when it is not standard, and Japanese women's sizes use the same centimetre scale.

• 27.0cm / 27.5cm — the size as written
• ワイズ / 2E / 4E — width
• メンズ / レディース / キッズ — men's / women's / kids
• US9 = 27cm — sellers sometimes add the US size; the cm number is authoritative

What do 黒タグ, 履きジワ and 加水分解 mean on a used sneaker listing?

黒タグ (black tag) means the retail size tag is still attached, usually on Nike; 履きジワ (haki-jiwa) is creasing on the toe box from wear; 加水分解 (kasui-bunkai) is hydrolysis, the crumbling of an ageing polyurethane midsole, and the note that decides whether a vintage pair is wearable. Japanese sellers also state how many times a pair was worn, whether the box and spare laces are present, and whether the pair was bought through the domestic channel — 国内正規 — as their own statement.

• 黒タグ付き — retail tag attached
• 履きジワ / 汚れ — creasing / marks
• 加水分解 / 加水分解なし — sole hydrolysis / none
• ソール減り / かかと減り — sole wear / heel wear
• 箱付き / 替え紐付き — box / spare laces included
• 国内正規 / 並行 — domestic channel / parallel import, as stated by the seller

Where do Japanese sneakers come from?

Shops for new pairs, marketplaces for sold-out ones, and shop-graded stock in between. ASICS, Mizuno and Onitsuka Tiger sell through their Japanese online stores and through Rakuten and Amazon Japan; select shop exclusives are on the shops' own sites and ZOZOTOWN; Mercari, Rakuma and Yahoo Auctions hold the resale; 2nd STREET grades used pairs. Brand pages for ASICS and Mizuno cover their model names.

ASICS from Japan: models and search terms →

Does shipping a pair of sneakers with the box cost more?

Yes, because the box is priced on volume and the shoes are not heavy. At order time you pay the yen price, OneMall's service fee, shown before you confirm, and the seller's domestic shipping if charged; when the pair reaches our Japan warehouse you choose an international shipping method and pay for it. Tell us whether to keep the boxes before the carton is packed, and combine pairs from different sellers into one shipment. Your country's import duty, where it applies, is charged on arrival.

Estimate shipping with the OneMall calculator →

How do Japanese sellers title sneaker listings?

Brand and model in katakana or Latin letters, the colourway nickname, the centimetre size, and the box and tag state. スニーカー alone is too broad; the model name is the search.

• ナイキ / アディダス / ニューバランス / アシックス — brands in katakana
• エアマックス / ダンク / ゲルライト3 — models
• 27.0cm 箱付き 黒タグ — size, box, tag
• 日本限定 / 別注 / コラボ — Japan-only, shop exclusive, collaboration
• 未使用 / 試着のみ — unused / tried on only