Those were the days when I struggled to get "Vans".
-Do you have a favorite pair of sneakers that you own?
Head:Recently, I have been wearing suede "Cortez" shoes by Nike. They were a women's model, but I happened to have the size, so I bought them. I also wear shoes from the collaboration between "Mizuno" and "Digawell," and I also wear vintage dunks. Recently, new sneakers, especially models used for trekking and such, are really easy to wear because they have good cushioning. I used to wear leather shoes and boots a lot, but once I put on those sneakers, it's so easy that I end up wearing them all the time (laughs).
-Do you have any memories or episodes related to sneakers?
Head:When I was in high school, I received a pair of "Vans" slip-ons as a birthday present. Actually, Vans was not yet officially represented in Japan, so I asked a friend of mine to import them from an overseas store. They were a bit expensive because of customs duties, but when they finally arrived and I started wearing them, ABC Mart became the official distributor and I was able to buy them at a discount.... I wondered what all our hard work had been about (laughs).
