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Westerners in Geta?

Bobbypins

後輩
17 Jul 2014
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Hi there!
I am new to the forum and wanted to get everyone's opinion on something I am considering.
I am a 27 year old caucasian female looking to incorperate Japanese geta sandal into my everyday style. I love the look of the light wood with the black straps, which I believe are typically for men. I am very into fashon, however I do not want to give off a bad impression. Do you feel that this would be inappropriate? How would you feel seeing this? I am a typical dark blonde girl with dark skin and light eyes and will be pairing the geta with usual everyday western clothing (I would not try to pull of an entire Japanese inspired outfit with them, fake kimono ect.) I would love to hear your thoughts before I make a fool out of myself (which I hope I haven't done here already) Many thanks!
 
Thank you very much!
I believe I have found a perfect womens pair with the black hanawa, they are a bit more narrow which will cause my foot to slightly extend past the edge. I just hope to show respect for the style of shoe rather than give a bad impression.
 
In a country where ridiculous kanji tattoos have become as common as stupidity, you hardly need worry about a little thing like this. Wear whatever you like and screw what anybody else thinks about it.
 
Have you ever worn them? I can't imagine they are comfortable.

Realize that very few Japanese wear them, and only with certain clothing. So it's a fashion but not practiced by many. Yeah you can wear whatever you like, and some foreigners go overboard by wearing kimonos daily. Nobody will say much to your face, but you can bet that many fellow foreigners will have things to say about "going Japanese" like that.

looking to incorperate Japanese geta sandal into my everyday style
May I ask how you intend to do that if you don't plan to wear the other clothing that is typically associated with geta? I mean, I can't imagine Levis and geta combination. Or a business suit and geta.
 
I have been debating this for a while so I have been to a few shops nearby that sell them to try them on. They feel almost like typical flip flops with the difference being that the front piece taps the ground harder than a flexible shoe would. I would definitely say they are far more comfortable than a pair of high heals!

As far as styling them I would wear colors that compliment the wood tones, maybe a short black a line skirt with a light linen, oversized button up. Just a relaxed summer look. Kind of like how you would wear regular flip flops, only more interesting.
 
Here is a useful guide to wearing geta:

ツ債。ナ津θ淡ニ槌槌恥ニ停?慊 AF's Japan Now & Then ツ債。ナ津θ淡ニ槌槌恥ニ停??How to Wear Geta (and Other Kimono Footwear)

I've worn them on a few occasions and found them pretty uncomfortable, although I'm sure you would get used to them over time.

I know from observing my wife's blisters and sprained ankles from wearing high heels, that women have a high pain threshold when it comes to pursuing fashion.

If it gives you pleasure ... go for it - I'm sure a pair of geta would be a lot safer and more comfortable than some of the stiletto monstrosities I see under wobbling legs in the city everyday!
 
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Just did a quick google image search on 下駄 and was reminded anew that the word "geta" encompasses a huge variety of footwear. I suspect the OP is talking about something which would hardly even be noticed.

This is probably something like "futon" where the image the word conjures up differs greatly in the minds of foreigners overseas and foreigners in Japan.
 
I thought maybe you had in mind something more like these:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1405552385.196465.jpg
 
In a country where ridiculous kanji tattoos have become as common as stupidity, you hardly need worry about a little thing like this.

😄
True story: One of my sister's friends got a kanji tattoo that (she was told) meant "serenity" or "peace" or something along those lines. One day a friend of the friend who was actually kanji-literate saw the new tattoo and said, "Why does it say 'SLOW'?"

That's even better than the joke about "beef & broccoli".
 
😄
True story: One of my sister's friends got a kanji tattoo that (she was told) meant "serenity" or "peace" or something along those lines. One day a friend of the friend who was actually kanji-literate saw the new tattoo and said, "Why does it say 'SLOW'?"

That's even better than the joke about "beef & broccoli".
Well, as a Chinese, I think that Chinese letter '慢' does have a little apart of meaning for 'serenity', it means 'don't be in a hurry' or 'slow down your pace', then you can do things better.
 
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