Geta
Geta is a traditional Japanese footwear that is often worn with a yukata or a kimono. It’s a cross between clogs and flip-flops. If you look at them, you’ll see that these footwear is no easy to wear as the wooden heels are placed in a position that most of us non-Japanese are not used to. While we walk in our shoes where the soles are flat or the heels are, well, at our heels, the Geta’s wooden base does not support the toes. I won’t get too much into the science of walking, let’s just say that to walk in a Geta takes some practice.
Sometimes geta are worn in rain or snow to keep the feet dry, due to their extra height and impermeability compared to other shoes such as zori.
There are several different styles of geta. The most familiar style in the West consists of an unfinished wooden board called a dai (台, stand) that the foot is set upon, with a cloth thong (鼻緒, hanao) that passes between the big toe and second toe. As geta are usually worn only with yukata or other informal Japanese clothes or Western clothes, there is no need to wear socks. Ordinary people wear at least slightly more formal zori when wearing special toe socks called tabi. Apprentice geisha, also called “maiko”, wear their special geta (called okobo) with tabi to accommodate the hanao. The okobo is very tall and is usually made with willow wood.
Types of Getas:
Source: Wikipedia
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