And they come in six different colors!

Geta are a type of traditional Japanese sandal typically worn with yukata. Though they come in many fashionable designs these days, traditional geta are made with a wood base for the foot and thongs made of fabric. But the most fascinating kind of the geta are the ones that have “teeth” underneath the wooden sole. Usually two or three of these strips of wood elevate the sandal off the ground, though they can make walking a little tricky and in some cases painful if wearing them incorrectly.

Because they require a special way of walking, some people think geta are a great tool for health and beauty. They say wearing geta can help improve posture and build strength in the core and in the legs, which is why they’re even used by Olympic figure skaters for training. Some geta makers even take this to the extreme to make geta designed for health, like these single-toothed geta called “Fraing.”

According to the designers, there are multiple benefits with the Fraing geta. First, they say you can easily feel how they’re helping you improve. Initially, you may have trouble merely standing still in these geta, but the more you wear them, the better you’ll get at walking in them, so you can naturally see your progression.

Second, because these geta require a lot of concentration to stand in, never mind walk in, the design team says that wearing them regularly helps foster healthy habits that improve your posture and sense of balance as well as train your core and leg muscles.

The designers promise that Fraing sandals are very comfortable too. Like most geta, they’re designed so that your little toe and your heel both hang slightly off the ends of the sandal. This is the correct way to wear geta to keep from getting blisters, and Fraing geta are to be worn the same. Plus, the Fraing geta straps are placed specifically to help prevent any constriction on the feet and toes.

The thongs themselves are made of cotton and smoothed suede. The suede (the darker colored material in the photo below) makes up the thong and the bottom of the straps, making for a delightfully smooth and soft feel, with no chafing or rubbing.

The Fraing geta are made in Ehime Prefeture’s Ozu City by Nagahama Mokuri, a long-established wooden footwear maker whose artisans use their expertise to create sandals directly from unprocessed lumber from sustainable cypress and cedar sources.

The thongs are also colored with environmentally friendly, naturally derived dyes. Unlike yukata geta which typically have straps decorated with traditional patterns, these geta have a nice, neutral, casual look, so you can feel comfortable putting them on any time you’re going for a walk. They also come in six colors–blue, black, green, orange, pink, and red–giving you plenty of options to match to your wardrobe.

The sandals have two different kinds of soles made by Italian sole-maker Vibram, which are often used in climbing shoes and boots because of their grip and durability. Once you get the hang of walking in them, you won’t ever have to worry about slipping.

The Fraing geta are currently being funded by a crowdfunding campaign on Makuake, where they have achieved 933 percent of their original goal. Options are still available to pledge your support and buy the geta at a discounted rate of up to 40 percent off, but once the funding is over on April 4, they’ll be sold for the retail price of 12,000 yen per pair (US$104).

And if you’re looking for a nice outfit to go with your stylish new geta, these crowdfunded hakama roomwear are just about perfect.

Source: Makuake via Japaaan
Images: Makuake
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