For this one of one custom inspired by Japan, specifically the city of Kyoto, having something that would be both unique and versatile were very important to me. To start off of the shoe, I knew that having both Black and White would be solid bases to highlight the special materials and colors selected later.
My goal was to have as many significant aspects of Japanese culture in this pair. For the heel and tab I went with an olive shaded suede which would resemble the bonsai tree. An art style all on its own that originally came from China, and later introduced to Japan, focuses on artistic minimalism which was the perfect start for the pair.

For the inside liner I went with a more padded foam for better comfort for all day wear and a very beautiful liner fabric. This knit feels similar to a satin fabric with Gold cherry blossoms embroidered into the weave. Cherry blossoms are a gorgeous tree when it comes to blooming season. With them being a national symbol of Japan it only seemed fitting to include that into the shoe.
I had a beat up donor shoe that I was able to salvage the worn laces and tongue label from. Both the colors of those were selected to resemble the cherry blossom colors.

The insole used on this pair was a much more padded one that came from a pair of Zoom CMFT Jordans. The bright Orange insole fabric was a real buzzkill for these customs so something had to be done about it. I did a nice even coating of a spray adhesive and gently rested the fabric down on the top. Gently smoothing it as I went along made for a perfect fit. I also sprayed on the edges and the bottom which made for a sticky mess on my hands, but allowed for me to wrap the fabric tightly to the edges and then the bottom.
With the Navy and Gold liner looking like a night sky bordering the insole, the inside would be the real show of the shoe. Colorful cherry blossoms blooming with Mt Fuji taking center stage making it a simple and stunning work of art to be seen before slipping the shoe on each time.

Finding a midsole was not the easiest for this process as I needed a Blue similar to the liner. The Zoom CMFT series had very comfortable midsoles in comparison to the standard ones but I was able to find this version which has a big red section on the sole. The red is a perfect resemblance to the Japanese flag.
Another subtle detail on this pair is the Gold aglets for the lace tips. In Japanese culture, the art of repairing broken pottery with gold is called “Kintsugi”. Because these lace tips were not in the best of shape I needed to fix them. Using clear plastic tubing would make them look like the original ones, but would be as unique and significant

In the end, these came out perfectly. The fit was perfect for the foot and the added cushion from the midsole and insole made them feel like walking on a cloud making them the best foundation for an upcoming trip to Japan.
The colors from the side make them pair with many outfits and styles without being overly loud. A closer inspection of the shoe will show off all the little and small details resembling many aspects of Japan.

Custom 1985 “Kyoto” Lowtops