mizutori creates modern Japanese wooden sandals (geta) designed for comfort and everyday wear.
What Is mizutori?
Episode 60
Before Leaving Japan, They Came Back
Recently,
we have been welcoming
more and more visitors
from overseas
to our shop in Shizuoka.
One of the things I enjoy most
about meeting international customers
is how openly
they express what they feel.
Some take one look
at wooden footwear
and simply say,
“No.”
Others slip them on,
their eyes light up,
and they exclaim,
“Wow! Beautiful!”
“Amazing!”
Their honest reactions
teach us something new
every single day.
Among all those encounters,
one in particular
has stayed with me.
It was a couple
from Switzerland.
The woman stopped
in front of the geta
in our display window,
and then came
into the shop.
As soon as she opened the door
and saw the rows of geta
filling the room,
her face lit up.
Even from across the shop,
I could see
the excitement in her eyes.
Looking around,
she turned to her husband
and asked,
“Which one do you think
would suit me best?”
Before long,
she began asking me
for my opinion as well.
Then,
quite naturally,
she even asked
another customer
who happened to be browsing nearby.
“I usually wear
a lot of pink.”
“Do you think
this one would suit me better?”
Standing in front of the mirror,
she happily tried on
pair after pair,
enjoying every moment
of choosing.
Before long,
everyone in the shop—
people of different ages
and nationalities
who had only just met—
was chatting together,
helping her
find the perfect pair.
Watching strangers
share smiles
and enjoy choosing geta together
made me smile too.
Then,
the following day,
the shop door opened again.
I looked up—
and there they were.
The same couple.
For a moment,
I simply thought,
“Oh!”
With travelers from overseas,
most encounters
last only a single visit.
So I had never imagined
that I might see them again.
“You came back!”
I said.
The woman smiled broadly.
“I loved them so much.
After we got back
to our hotel,
I kept looking
at your website.
And then...
I found another pair
that I wanted!”
Then she added,
“Before leaving Japan,
I wanted to make sure
I didn’t leave
wishing I had bought them.”
The moment I heard those words,
my heart was full.
With their time in Japan limited,
they had chosen
to return
to our shop once more.
That meant
more to me
than I could say.
That day too,
she happily tried on
several different pairs
before choosing
another favorite.
As they were leaving,
she said,
“I’m so happy
to have found
such comfortable
and lovely Japanese footwear.
I’ve already told
my family
and friends
about mizutori.
My cousin
is coming to Japan
this September,
and I’ve told her
she simply has to
visit your shop.”
I wish
I could have found
more thoughtful words
to express my gratitude.
But all I managed to say was,
“Thank you.”
Again and again.
When I work
face to face
with customers,
their smiles
and their words
sometimes give me
more encouragement
than I could ever imagine.
This couple
did exactly that.
Sometimes,
I find myself imagining
the two of them,
back home in Switzerland,
enjoying
their mizutori geta.
That thought alone
makes me smile.
Meeting them
reminded me once again
of the possibilities
that geta still hold—
and of the quiet joy
of making them.
