Japanese Tabi Safety Boots

A note: the "lack" of arch support and cushioning is a feature, not a bug - just like other minimalist barefoot-style shoes.Update: DEFINITELY order a half size smaller than your usual shoe size. My first pair (the grey pair) I bought in my usual size (8.5M), and they were far too loose. The black pair I ordered in size 8 and they fit like an absolute dream.Lightweight, well-built, zero-drop, barefoot-style safety shoes are a rarity, to the point that after 30+ hours of research these and the split toed "tabi" variety are the only ones readily available apart from some more common brand shoes that require a little modification. So far they are very comfortable, with a decent sized toe box (narrower than your usual barefoot-style show but still with more than enough room for my wide front foot area). Ordering a half size down lets these fit like a dream, every bit as comfortable as my significantly more expensive Xero & Freet! brand minimalist shoes but with the added benefit of being safety toes that are required for my work. I don't work where sole puncture resistance is necessary, but I'd be a little cautious if that's something you'll need -there's plenty of grip from the tread pattern, but I'd imagine that nails or sharp metal would go through them without much effort.

Loved the styling, but in the end is not a steel toed option if looking for a wide toe box/barefoot work shoe.

I bought these boots looking for a zero drop, minimalist, barefoot, safety toe shoe. These boots got me zero drop and safety out of what I was looking for.I've been wearing barefoot trail shoes and barefoot boots for the past year and a half but am required to wear safety toes at work. I searched and searched for the perfect safety toe and I think these fit the bill well, but not perfectly.They are zero drop, but there is a very minimal bit of arch support, as compared to my barefoot shoes and boots.The toe box is hard to explain. It is not as wide as my other barefoots, but it is really flexible as compared to any other safety toe. I've worn steel, aluminum, and composite toe boots and shoes - slip on ESD shoes to chemical resistant wellingtons to military safety boots, regular and wide widths. The canvas of the toe box is much softer than vans and is actually a bit softer than chuck taylors. I've never worn a safety shoe with as much movement in the toe box as these - nice!The soles of these boots are also more flexible than any other safety toes I've worn.I would really like an actual minimist/zero drop steel toe shoe, but until then, these do the best so far. Keen Destin slip on shoes were previously the best safety toe shoes I'd worn, but they're out of production. These boots are more barefoot than the Keens but the toe box and fit are not as wide or anatomically shaped.I think these are worth a shot if you're looking for the same things I was.They look weird. They're not entirely awful, but they are weird. These will not pass for a meeting shoe, and my wife doesn't like when I wear them, so I don't wear them to my meetings or going out.They're not super expensive at ~$40 price and ~$30 shipping, compared to other safety shoes.

I tried to wear these but were unable to after a half hour. The shoes are lightweight and flexible but the back part of the shoe for the heel, there is a hard rubber piece the come up behind you ankle and rubs which will make your foot blister. I tried to put a heel cup inside of it to help but it does not go high enough. They now sit in my closet only worn a couple of times around the house trying to break them in to no avail..

I'm really loving these and just hoping they're made well enough to not fall apart too fast. I did use fabric wax to help keep water from seeping through the canvas. The red interior will bleed on your socks otherwise. And these are pretty minimal in terms of support. But they run a bit large, so there is room for a nice thick sock and/or additional padding (sole inserts, heel supports, whatever you need). At the end of they day, they're simple, easy to wear, look cool, and feel great.UPDATE: These have held up beautifully and are very comfy. Imagine indoor/outdoor slippers mixed with Converse Chuck Taylors and you're pretty much there. Will buy again if these ever wear out.

As shipped, the top Velcro strap overshoots its counterpart next to your calf. Others have noted this and maybe said that their calves are thin. My calves are a little above average in size, and they overshot as much as people with thinner calves experienced.I purchased strong Velcro attachments, cut two of the three soft sides of the velcro in half and at mirror image angles (see first picture), and then forcefully pressed the Velcro into the side of the boot. (I placed it on the ground, placed my heel over the velcro, and stood on it with my full weight on my heel).Now I can use the top straps normally.I think this is a decent fix, until the manufacturer can increase the size of the soft side of the Velcro for the top strap so that the Velcro for the top strap will not overshoot what's on the side of the boot.