These bizarre sandals have gone viral on Japanese social media, so we put them to the test.

If you’re interested in Japan, your timeline and explore pages are likely filled with photos and videos of influencers promoting the country’s latest finds. A lot of the time, though, these influencers miss the true hidden gems that circulate on Japanese social media, and right now there’s one product that locals are raving about: Bare Feet of a Gorilla.

Produced by Osaka-based company Doshisha, as part of its Gorilla Series of quirky lifestyle products, Bare Feet of a Gorilla are acupressure sandals designed to provide a pleasant stimulation to the soles of the feet every time you walk in them.

Ever since their release in late April, users have been heaping praise on the sandals, adoring them not only for their cute similarities to a cloud, but the effect they have on the feet and legs.

▼ Look closer and you’ll find hidden gorillas within the puffy surface of each sandal.

According to Doshisha, these slides were created in response to the growing popularity of so-called “recovery sandals”, which are particularly popular with young people in summer to relieve tired legs. The pleasant stimulation provided by the puffy surface, and the gorillas hidden within them, are said to combat swelling in the legs, an assertion backed by many users of the product, who say their legs look slimmer after wearing them.

From our experience, acupressure sandals tend to have a breaking-in period, where you have to put up with a certain amount of pain before getting used to the stimulation on the soles of your feet. However, when we slid into the Bare Feet of a Gorilla, we were surprised to find that we barely felt any pain.

Although there was a feeling of unevenness, the sensation was soft on the feet, thanks to the EVA material, which had excellent give. The stimulation was moderate, and after just a short period we felt the sluggishness disappear from our legs.

They were wonderfully lightweight, making them very easy to walk in, and we were able to walk about the house for a couple of hours while doing chores before we felt it was time to step out of them. They’re comfortable enough that you could even wear them when ducking out to a nearby convenience store, but they do have an acupressure effect that’s hard on the feet after an extended period of time.

As for the slimming effect, well, we didn’t notice any differences there, but they did help to stimulate the soles of the feet and they also reduced fatigue so they certainly delivered on that promise.

They do look fantatstic, though, and will definitely turn the heads of passersby if you go out in them. Available in black, grey, white, and mint green, the slides come in small, medium and large sizes (22-23 centimetres [8.7–9.1 inches],  23-24 centimetres, and 24-25 centimetres respectively). They can be purchased at Don Quijote stores and affiliated retail chains like Apita and Piago nationwide, priced at 2,189 yen (US$13.76).

Related: Doshisha, Don Quijote
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