Uncle Roger's Notebooks of Daily Life

New Shoes

We were in the Laurel Village area Saturday to get Jared's hair cut and afterwards, I decided to drive by to see if I could spot a shoe store I was interested in. Sure enough, there it was, and a parking place to boot. So we unloaded the kids to check it out. We ended up walking out with new shoes for both kids.

The reason I knew about the store was because they are one of the very few places in this country that sells Tsukihoshi shoes. For a few months, now, Jared and Sara have been running around in these great shoes from Japan. I love 'em, and not just because of my Japanese fetish.

They're basically what I would call "Tenner" shoes -- the running/jogging/cross-training/whatever type shoes that cost way too much these days. They are very lightweight and have very flexible soles. They have a single, wide strap across the front that connects with velcro. Most velcro shoes have two or more straps that cross the tongue of the shoe, pass through a hole, and fold back over to attach. This means that the straps must be loosened considerably or even removed from the hole in order for the kid to get their foot inside. With the single strap and no hole, the kid (or more likely the parent) doesn't have to thread any straps through any holes. In addition, unlike other shoes, the tongue is connected on one side as well as at the bottom. This makes them much easier to put on -- easy enough that a toddler can do it by themselves.

The quality is good and they are machine washable. The kids seem to enjoy wearing them too. They're not cheap -- about $40 -- and they're hard to find in this country, but if you can get them, they're worth having.