Shoes

This weekend Tetsu bought me some new shoes. I hate buying shoes. I'm not so fond of shopping to begin with but I especially don't like trying on shoes. I can't seem to think fashion when in comes to shoes and I can go through a whole season with just one pair of walking shoes and a pair of black dress shoes (for funerals).

So the soles of the shoes I bought in October were wearing down so much I felt like I was walking on a slant (I do a lot of walking so I am hard on shoes). Someone even commented that I needed to buy some new ones so you know they were getting pretty bad. Tetsu was so surprised when I suggested we visit the shoe store on Saturday.

"YOU?! You want to buy shoes?!"

Shoes have to have some support because of all the walking I do. They can't hurt because I've already got bunions. They should be black or brown so that they won't show the dirt when Choco steps on my feet. They also have to be easy to get on and off because we live in a Japanese house where we are removing shoes every time we enter a building. (Yes, not only houses. We all remove our shoes when we enter a school or the kindergarten or wherever.)

I don't buy shoes in America either but I have a feeling shoes are a little different. What do you think? I looked at some shoes (but didn't buy them) that have soft backs at the heel area. I considered these because I have a TERRIBLE habit of stepping on the backs of my shoes when I get into them. I think most Japanese do this and that is why these types of shoes are becoming popular. The back of the shoe is soft so that you can pull it up around your heel, or if you are in a hurry you can smash them down like mules. Mules are VERY popular shoes in Japan for just this reason.

What I ended up with are MAROON colored walking shoes. (Tetsu chose the color for me). They've got the reflectors on the back of the heel for walking at night, and they have a good arch for walking. Best of all they have zippers on the sides. Do shoes elsewhere have zippers? If I'm going to buy shoes I look for some with velcro or zippers so that I can get in and out of them quickly. I just can't be bothered to sit down on the entry way step and tie or untie tennis shoes every time I go in or out of the house.

I'm ready for a lot of spring walking!