Going back to the U.S. is always a treat: I get to load up on foods that I can’t get in Japan like Quaker Oatmeal, Pop Tarts and packets of Taco Bell hot sauce. It’s also nice to hit the shopping malls and pick up shoes for the next year, since for most gaijin buying shoes in Japan can be a challenge. In one store I was in I found a pair of nice looking boots that I wanted to buy, but then I remembered that I lived in Japan, and reconsidered. The custom of removing shoes before entering any home and many businesses (including J-List) means you’re likely to take your shoes off and put them on again many times during the day, so wearing shoes that are hard to get on and off easily like boots or high-top basketball shoes is a chore. Most foreigners living here develop a “shoe strategy,” buying slip-ons or low sneakers which can be laced loosely so you can get them on and off easily. In the end I liked the boots so much I went ahead and picked them up anyway, knowing that I was going against the grain of things in Japan.
Living in Japan means developing a “shoe strategy.”
