Comfort and care of beautiful Japanese wooden slippers

Comfort and care of beautiful Japanese wooden slippers

These wooden slippers made of Japanese cedar can be used barefoot.

Belt-type slippers can be used with socks, but when used in Japan, they are mainly used barefoot in the summer season.


Wooden slippers come in two types:
those that are painted to protect the wood (black lacquered slippers)
and those that are natural and unpainted.




Unpainted natural slippers are particularly hygroscopic, absorbing sweat and moisture. Therefore, they are comfortable to wear even in summer. In Japan, they are sometimes used in onsen ryokan or after bathing.

Painted wooden slippers also absorb moisture, but less so than unpainted slippers.
However, they are more durable because they have a black coating to protect the wood.

The color of the unpainted type changes as the wood is used.
It will change to the color of more used wood.
It also absorbs the sweat of the feet, so the areas that are often in contact with the feet will become especially discolored.
Although comfortable to the touch, it is inevitable that the wood parts will become old and discolored.

Wooden Slipper Odor Problems and Care
The odor varies considerably depending on the environment in which the wood is used and the individual characteristics.

Storage in a humid or hot place or in an environment with poor ventilation or air flow is not recommended as it can cause odor.

This is only my experience, but I have never been bothered by the odor of these wooden slippers in my living environment in Japan.
I feel that since these wooden slippers are open-type wooden slippers with good moisture absorption properties,
they are unlikely to be a source of odor.
If anything, odor is more of a concern with our regular cotton slippers.

If you are concerned about the odor,
please care for them by wiping them with water using a tightly wrung cloth and drying them in the bright shade.
For painted slippers, it is okay to slightly wet them,
but for unpainted slippers, soaking them in water may damage the wood or cause them to crack when they dry,
so we recommend wiping them with a cloth.

We hope you will enjoy these beautiful slippers during the summer season!

Back to blog

UWABAKI

1 6

Highly popular

1 12

Knitting up-cycled

1 12

Reviews

You can find more detailed customer reviews of our products on the SHOP app. SHOP is a shopping and package tracking app powered by Shopify.

SHOP Tracking and shopping—all in one
Track your orders and discover the world’s greatest brands—all in one place.

SHOP : Heiwa Slipper

âžĄïžŽÂ Product reviews

>>>

 

Carbon-neutral shipping with Shopify Planet
Carbon-neutral shipping on all orders

Blog posts

View all
  • Discover Uwabaki: Japan's Iconic Indoor Shoes

    Discover Uwabaki: Japan's Iconic Indoor Shoes

    Uwabaki are traditional Japanese indoor shoes commonly worn by students in schools. Beyond their practical function, uwabaki hold cultural significance, reflecting Japan's emphasis on cleanliness and respect for shared spaces.

    Discover Uwabaki: Japan's Iconic Indoor Shoes

    Uwabaki are traditional Japanese indoor shoes commonly worn by students in schools. Beyond their practical function, uwabaki hold cultural significance, reflecting Japan's emphasis on cleanliness and respect for shared spaces.

  • NewđŸŒ»Natural GETA ZOURI Slippers

    NewđŸŒ»Natural GETA ZOURI Slippers

    Introducing the perfect slippers for summer!!! These slippers are crafted using natural Japanese HINOKI wood, left untreated to preserve its inherent moisture-absorbing properties. With a contemporary design upgrade, they embody...

    NewđŸŒ»Natural GETA ZOURI Slippers

    Introducing the perfect slippers for summer!!! These slippers are crafted using natural Japanese HINOKI wood, left untreated to preserve its inherent moisture-absorbing properties. With a contemporary design upgrade, they embody...

  • Do you give in house slippers as gifts on Mother's Day?

    Do you give in house slippers as gifts on Mothe...

    Heiwa Slipper : On Mother's Day in Japan, slippers are often suggested as gifts, rooted in traditional gender roles. However, this notion may feel outdated, as home should be inclusive for...

    Do you give in house slippers as gifts on Mothe...

    Heiwa Slipper : On Mother's Day in Japan, slippers are often suggested as gifts, rooted in traditional gender roles. However, this notion may feel outdated, as home should be inclusive for...

1 3
View all

How did the slipper become so common in Japan? | What is Heiwa Slipper?

What is Heiwa Slipper?

In the beginning, Japanese slippers

Thank you for visiting our website. We are an online slipper store located in Japan and very excited to introduce you our various collections of the slippers.

But first, let me explain what we call “slipper” in Japan. Most of the time, in Western countries, “slipper” means “a semi-closed type of shoe, consisting of a sole held to the wearer’s foot by a strap running over (or between) the toes or instep (Reference: Wikipedia)”. They are wearable shoes for outside, most of the time, and sometimes inside as well for comfort. On the other hand, in Japan, when we say “slipper”, we think flat, in-house footwear item, and that is the kind we would like to spread to the world.

As you may know, it is our common practice to take our shoes off when we go in the house to keep the floor clean. Then why do we wear slippers in the house? How did the slipper become so common in Japan?

How did the slipper become so common in Japan?

It is said that the origin of slipper firstly appeared in Japan in the beginning of Meiji era (1968-1912), which was the time Japan was opening its country to the world and having more people visited from outside, especially from Western countries. However, those visitors of course walked straight into the houses or hotel rooms without taking their shoes off. Japanese people worried that the floor would eventually get dirty and the tatami would be damaged. Slipper was devised to deal with those problems and to welcome people who came from different cultural background.

 

Our theme is “Return of Japanese Slippers”

Ever since then, slipper has become common/daily use item all over Japan. However, unfortunately, we barely find slippers made in Japan these days. A lot of them are industrially mass-produced in other countries at lower wages, and sold at a cheap price here. Our theme is “Return of Japanese Slippers”.

We believe slipper can be a bridge to the peace (= “Heiwa”)

Here, we will introduce slippers made with the spirits of Japanese hospitality. We would like to also introduce some slippers made in other countries, in which we try our best to achieve the fair-trade upon importing them. “Benefits for all three sides, for the customer, society, and the vendor” is what we are aiming for.

We believe slipper can be a bridge to the peace (= “Heiwa”).

- Heiwa Slipper