house for countless stores dedicated to sneakers, Tokyo might be one of the best places in the world to stock up on new releases. This modern fashion staple has become a wardrobe staple and has even gained enough popularity to warrant a whole new sneaker floor dedicated to the Hankyu Men Tokyo department store in Ginza.
The new shoe emporium, called Ginza Sneaker Hills, will take up the entire eighth floor and is set to officially open on Saturday March 19. The ground will be separated into four different areas: a shoe market, a museum, a sneaker school and a hospital.
The Sneaker Market is run by a large thrift store Komehyo and will feature over 500 pairs of new and used sneakers from various brands, the bulk of them being from Nike. The well-curated selection will focus on popular shoe styles as well as rare and hard-to-find sneaker designs. With a focus on durability, the marketplace will also offer a shopping service where you can sell your pre-owned and second-hand sneakers – after a quick staff assessment, of course.
Opposite the market, you will find the Sneaker Museum which will be reserved for exhibitions and events related to footwear. The first exhibit will highlight the history of popular Nike sneaker models, including the Cortez and the AJ10G, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The inaugural exhibition is scheduled until September.
You can also enjoy a cup of coffee as you browse the exhibit space as there will be an automated cafe run by Root C where you can order coffee from the touchless system, similar to a vending machine.
If you’re struggling to let go of an old pair of sneakers, you can give your favorite sneakers a second life with the help of Sneaker Hospital and School. The hospital offers cleaning and repair services while the school offers workshops on how to customize your shoes to suit your style.
The school experience gives you the chance to dive into shoe customization where you can learn how to paint and upgrade your sneakers with new leather pieces and even embellish them with Swarovski crystals. Classes start at ¥8,800 per person for a three-hour session. Booking links are not available at this time, so keep an eye out for Hankyu’s website for more details.
Don’t miss the grand opening of Ginza Sneaker Hills on March 19 – a number of events are planned for the big day, including live musical performances and a podcast recording with famous Japanese designers Dairiku Okamoto, Shinpei Goto, Hirofumi Kojima and Daisuke Obana.
See the store website for more information.
More from Time Out Tokyo
Poll: Tell us what living in Tokyo is really like for you
Brian Eno is holding his first major art exhibition in Kyoto this summer
Starbucks Japan launches a special collection of Kate Spade products
This Kyoto temple opens for cherry blossom viewing at night
Sadako of “The Ring” is the new Japanese star of YouTube
Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.
Comments are closed.