mizutori creates modern Japanese wooden sandals (geta) designed for comfort and everyday wear.
Episode 34
Crossing the Sea
From time to time,
mizutori receives inquiries from overseas.
Today, our online shop supports international shipping.
But more than a decade ago,
communication across the sea often began
with a single unexpected email.
Sometimes the message was written
in slightly awkward Japanese
produced by a translation tool —
yet clear enough for us to understand
that the sender wished to purchase geta.
Other times, the message arrived entirely in the sender’s native language.
We, too, relied on translation tools,
doing our best to understand their intentions,
and replying in equally awkward English.
Amid such exchanges,
we would occasionally receive inquiries
about repairs.
Because shipping the geta back to Japan would be difficult,
some customers asked
if we could teach them how to fix them themselves.
Imagining tools that might be available
at hardware stores abroad,
we explained simple repair methods
through carefully written messages.
Every one of them
listened attentively,
sharing the wish to continue wearing their geta
with care, even if it meant repairing them along the way.
Moved by that dedication,
we wrote back with the same sincerity.The more we wished to communicate clearly,
the more we felt the barrier of language.
Before long,
we even found ourselves studying English
in our private time.
That people in countries without a tradition of wooden footwear
would embrace geta —
this was both surprising
and deeply gratifying.
Somewhere in the world,
geta crafted in this small workshop in Shizuoka
are being worn.
Even now,
that thought feels slightly surreal.
In recent years,
we have also seen an increase
in visitors to Japan
choosing mizutori’s geta as souvenirs.
Some guests,
after wearing them as indoor slippers
during their stay,
fell in love with the comfort
and contacted us through the concierge
to make a purchase.
Others tried them on at special events
and said,
“I want my family and friends to experience this too,”
selecting several pairs
as gifts to take home.
Each encounter begins by chance.
Through these small moments,
mizutori has found its way
into the eyes and hands
of people around the world,
crossing the sea.
There is something deeply moving about that.
Reflecting on it now,
the person who may own the largest collection
of mizutori products in the world
might be a customer living in Germany.
Each time we release a new design
or a trial piece,
they check our Instagram,
send us a direct message,
and before we know it,
even the rarest pairs
have found their way into their collection.
When countries change,
so do foot shapes
and ways of wearing footwear.
There are many differences and challenges.
And yet,
somewhere within those differences,
there is still a point of connection.
For that reason,
we are deeply grateful
that people choose mizutori’s geta,
even across such distances.
Looking ahead,
we hope that overseas customers will come to think of
“mizutori = geta.”
With that aspiration,
we will continue sending
the thoughts and care placed into each pair
across the sea.
