Home to countless stores dedicated to sneakers, Tokyo might be one of the best places in the world to stock up on the latest kicks. This modern fashion staple has become a closet essential, and has even gained enough popularity to warrant a brand new dedicated sneaker floor at the Hankyu Men’s Tokyo department store in Ginza.
The new shoe emporium, called Ginza Sneaker Hills, takes up the entire eighth floor and is separated into four different areas: a shoe market, museum, sneaker school and hospital.
The Sneaker Market is run by second-hand department store Komehyo and features more than 500 pairs of new and used sneakers from different brands, with the bulk of them being from Nike. The well-curated selection focuses on popular shoe styles as well as rare, hard-to-find sneaker models. With a focus on sustainability, the market also offers a purchasing service where you can sell your second-hand and used sneakers – after a quick assessment by the staff, of course.
Across from the market, you’ll find the Sneaker Museum which is reserved for exhibitions and events related to footwear. The first exhibition highlights the history of popular Nike sneaker models from 1972 until 1980 including the Cortez and AJ10G, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The first phase of the exhibition is set to run until Thursday April 7 with several instalments to follow over the next few months.
You can also enjoy a cup of coffee while you browse the exhibition space as there’s an automated café run by Root C where you can order coffee from the contactless, vending-machine-like system.
If you have a hard time letting go of an old pair of sneakers, you can give your favourite kicks a second life with the help of the Sneaker Hospital and School. The hospital offers both cleaning and repair services while the school provides workshops on how to customise your shoes to suit your exact style.
The school experience gives you the chance to dive into footwear customisation where you can learn to paint and upgrade your sneakers with new leather parts and even bling them up with Swarovski crystals. Courses start at ¥8,800 per person for a three-hour session. Booking links are not available at the moment, so keep your eye on Hankyu’s website for further details.
See the store website for more information.
This article was originally published on March 16 and updated on April 1.
More from Time Out Tokyo
Survey: tell us what living in Tokyo is really like for you
5 new Japanese films and series coming to Netflix in April 2022
Bridges in Shinagawa are lighting up for a month to support Ukraine
The massive snow corridor at Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is opening in spring
How to make Japan’s famous soufflé cheesecake at home
Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.