mizutori creates modern Japanese wooden sandals (geta) designed for comfort and everyday wear.
Episode 40
A Delivery to Montreal
When you place an order for our geta,
we normally entrust them to a shipping company
to deliver safely to your doorstep.
I believe this is the case for most companies.
However, there was one time
when we made a very special delivery.
Today, we would like to share
an unforgettable story about “delivering.”
Thankfully,
mizutori has customers overseas as well.
One day, we received a message
from a woman living in Canada:
“I love wearing them so much
that I would like to place another order…”
Words like these, arriving from across the ocean,
are a true encouragement to us as makers.
They bring us genuine joy.
She mentioned that she worked
at an art museum in Montreal, Quebec.
Around that same time,
our managing director, Jonathan,
was planning to return to Canada with his family.
He is originally from Quebec.
“It might actually be faster
to deliver them in person
than to send them by international mail.”
When he first said this,
we assumed he was joking.
But the look on his face
made it clear he was serious.
It was an unprecedented idea.
To be honest,
we wondered whether it would truly be all right.
The distance.
The time involved.
Whether it might cause inconvenience.
We hesitated.
And yet,
when faced with a choice,
we tend to choose the option that feels more exciting.
Before we knew it,
our hearts had decided
to deliver them in person.
Perhaps this, too,
is part of who we are.
And so,
the “delivery to Montreal” was set in motion.
Still, Canada is vast.
Even within the same province of Quebec,
it is not a distance one can lightly say,
“Sure, we’ll drop them off,”
at least not by Japanese standards.
Would we really make it there?
Though we had agreed,
as the day drew closer,
a quiet anxiety began to grow.
In reality,
Jonathan’s family home
was quite far from Montreal.
Fortunately, however,
the museum was not too far from the airport,
and he arrived without major trouble.
Before him stood a museum
grander than we had imagined.
He paused at the entrance,
unsure whether he could simply walk in and say,
“I’ve come to deliver a pair of geta.”
With a quiet sense of tension,
he opened the door.
After explaining the situation,
the staff kindly assisted him
and connected him to the customer.
The woman who appeared had a quiet sophistication about her.
To our surprise,
the person who had placed the order
was the director of the museum.
She was sincerely delighted
that the geta had been delivered directly from Shizuoka.
“I truly love wearing them,”
she said warmly.
To hear such words
from someone who works professionally in the arts
filled us with pride and gratitude.
The fatigue of the long journey,
the quiet worries we had carried —
in that moment,
they seemed to dissolve.
Looking back,
perhaps it was a slightly reckless plan.
And yet,
to meet her smile in person,
to express our thanks in our own words —
that time together
was worth the challenge.
From time to time,
we choose paths
that step slightly outside the standard.
We believe that such choices
can lead to meaningful surprise and delight —
both for our customers
and for ourselves.
Of course,
always with care
not to cause inconvenience.
Going forward,
we hope that,
even if it means stepping just a little beyond the frame,
we can continue to deliver
not only our products,
but also our heartfelt intentions —
in a way that is truly mizutori.
