Here’s a list of shoe stores around Tokyo to check out for women with wide feet or bunions. Many of these shops are closed on Tuesdays or Wednesdays – so plan ahead!
Rakuhodou
🚶 1 min walk from Shinjuku Station
🕒 10:00 to 20:00 (Open most days; Shinjuku-Gyoen store closed on Wednesdays)
Rakuhodou focuses on shoes for people with feet problems including bunions, wide feet, and flat feet.
They have two types of stores – Rakuhodo and Run & Walk. There are both of these types of shopfronts in Shinjuku inside the Keio department store building (on levels 1F and 5F).
I got a much better experience on 5F and bought the waterproof sneakers “Let’s Run RTX01” in black 24.5cm (EU39) after trying and chatting with the store-person for an hour. The toe box was the roomiest I’ve tired on this trip, and it has a soft upper considering it has a waterproof membrane. I also learnt how you can alter how you walk in shoes with small round stickers to add under the insole.
Their stores located inside department stores (like the Shinjuku Keio Dept.) is open most days. Their Shinjuku-Gyoen store is closed on Wednesdays.
Belle & Sofa
🚶 2 min walk from Kameido Station
🕒 11:00 to 19:00 (Closed on New Year’s Day)
Belle & Sofa makes shoes that don’t hurt for people with bunions, by avoiding seams and openings at the base of the big toe. They’re made in Japan with soft stretchy materials that can be rained on.
These shoes can be made wide to order. They’re on the long side, so it’ll be worth ordering the wide version rather than going a size up.
The GARDN was too long for me at 24cm but slightly tight at the toebox at 23.5cm normal width, and the opening was a bit tight though it was designed to avoid squeezing the bunion. Their default STEDY felt wider and comfy at 23.5cm. But overall they’re not particularly wide fitting.
Closed on new years day, it’s a 2min walk from Kameido Station. From Oshiage (Sky Tree) Station, it’s a 5 stop bus ride away on Route 33 Kameido.
Moonstar (Closed Tuesdays)
🚶 3 min walk from Jiyugaoka Station
🕒 11:00 to 19:00 (Closed on Tuesdays)
Moonstar has some made in Japan and other shoes that cater for wider feet (JIS 3E width).
These Made in Japan 3E width shoes are very affordable.
Moonstar store is in Jiyugaoka (also has a 2nd one nearby), and is closed on Tuesdays.
Halmek
🚶 Directly connected to Ikebukuro Station
🕒 10:00 to 20:00 (Open most days)
Halmek stocks some 5E-width and bunion-friendly shoes.
They have a shop in Kagurazaka as well, but the one in Ikebukuro’s is right at the station’s department store.
Miss Kyouko (Closed Tuesdays)
🚶 5 min walk from Omotesando Station
🕒 10:30 to 18:00 (Closed on Tuesdays)
Miss Kyouko’s shoes are designed for people with bunions, but they look like normal shaped shoes.
This shop is in Jiyugaoka and is closed on Tuesdays.
Marugo (Closed Wednesdays)
🚶 3 min walk from Kyobashi Station or 6 min from Tokyo Station
🕒 11:00 to 19:00 (Closed on Wednesdays)
Marugo specialises in tabi-shoes and safety boots. Their shoes keep the big toe separated from the other toes, potentially helping with bunions.
Their leather shoes are made to order and they can take 3 weeks as they’re handmade in Kurashiki, but there is a simpler DIY leather craft kit:
I was excited to try these tabi shoes, but unfortunately, they didn’t work out for me.
The Hitoe was extremely tight all over. The knit boots felt okay but left pressure marks. The relaxed Tabirela would slip off when walking.
The Tokyo store is in Kyobashi near Tokyo Station and is Closed Wednesdays.
Tabi-ji (Closed Wednesdays)
🚶 6 min walk from Hase Station
🕒 11:00 to 18:00 (Closed on Wednesdays)
While we’re on split-toe shoes, Tabi-ji is not quite in Tokyo, but they have rainproof ones.
This one’s in Kamakura, an hour from Tokyo, and is closed Wednesdays.
Mare Mare
🚶 3 min walk from Shinjuku Station
🕒 11:00 to 21:00 (Open most days)
Mare Mare caters for wide and tall feet, and pricing is very affordable.
They have a handful of physical stores, including in Shinjuku and Ueuno.
Akaishi
🚶 1 min walk from Shinjuku Station
🕒 10:00 to 20:30 (Open most days)
Akaishi makes a lot of shoes that cater for fallen arches and bunions.
I personally felt their arch support too pronounced and leather too firm and narrow.
It’s located on 1F of Keio Department Store in the shoes section. Shoe fitters at the store can also make semi-custom insoles for your sneakers on the spot for about $50AUD. (Shinjuku store doesn’t have a 3D foot scanner.)
Belluna
🚶 Directly connected to Kamata Station
🕒 10:00 to 20:00 (Open most days)
Belluna has some 5E width shoes (which is about a 3E in global width speak).
These links somehow don’t want to go inside the boxes below.
https://belluna.jp/goods/387432.html
https://belluna.jp/goods/398211.html
They have a handful of shops, the Kamata one is in the station building.
Altra (Closed Wednesdays & Thursdays)
🚶 2 min walk from Higashi-Ginza Station
🕒 11:00 to 19:00 (Closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays)
While I don’t feel Altras are wide, they do have two models that come in a wide version which would accompany their foot-shaped toe boxes well.
Check out Altra’s Tokyo flagship store for the wide versions of their Lone Peak and Torin. (Lone Peak has the original wider footshape sole.)
The shop is located in Ginza and is closed Wednesdays & Thursdays.
Others
This New Balance Fresh Foam Walking 880 Gore-tex 4E width sneaker is for men, but it starts small from 24cm. This one was pretty close, but men’s 24cm is somehow longer than the women’s, at EU40.
If you just have slightly wide feet, Fit Fit stores have a range of 3E (= approx D-wide in global terms) shoes.
There is a Vivo Barefoot store (closed Wednesdays) in Shibuya.
If you’re interested in Vibram five-finger shoes that might alleviate the need for a wide toe box, there is a Barefoot inc store (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays) in Daikanyama.
Stride Lab Tokyo (closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays) in Nihonbashi stocks a variety of barefoot and zero drop shoe brands.
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