Slip your feet into three different styles designed to look like three different types of bullet train.
Over the years, customers in Japan have been spoilt for choice when it comes to exclusive sneakers. We’ve seen everything from izakaya-inspired kicks to ones that look like ramen, and now, we have a series of shoes designed to look like Shinkansen bullet trains.
This three-way collaboration between shoemakers Onitsuka Tiger, Hyogo travel brand Terroir Tabi and West Japan Railway Company centres on Onitsuka’s Mexico 66 GDX model, transforming it with new details.
▼ The first design in the three-piece collection celebrates the 500 series Shinkansen.
As a brand that was born in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, in 1949, Onitsuka Tiger is paying homage to its hometown with this collection, honouring three of the Shinkansen that pass through Hyogo. The 500 series, however, is the shiniest of them all, displaying a silver sheen with blue accent details.
All the shoes are made with Kobe beef leather finished by craftsmen using traditional techniques in Himeji, Japan’s representative leather production area. Pearl processing on each shoe gives it the same gloss as the bullet train it represents.
▼ The N700S shoe is a white-on-white design with blue details.
▼ Subtle colour differences create a depth that gives each shoe a sophisticated look.
Train fans will love all the tiny details, including the image of the carriage seating plan printed on the insole of its corresponding shoe.
▼ One of the most sought-after designs in the whole collection is bound to be the Doctor Yellow.
This is a particularly unique Shinkansen, as it’s a test train that doesn’t run on a set schedule, so seeing one is said to be lucky, as sightings are so rare.
▼ About as rare as these kicks.
Equipped with special monitors to test the condition of the tracks and overhead wires, Doctor Yellow has a very different type of carriage setup, as shown on the insoles.
Every shoe comes with its own specially marked box, complete with a tote bag featuring the bullet train’s signature colour, made with Banshu weave, a famous craft in the Kita Harima area of Hyogo Prefecture.
While the new sneakers look absolutely beautiful, they don’t come cheap, as each pair is priced at 44,000 yen (US$313.74). Still, if you’re a train lover with money to spare, these will definitely be worth the investment when they go on sale at Onitsuka stockists and online from 1 July.
Related: Onitsuka Tiger
Source, images: PR Times
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