Sneakers in Tokyo

By DANIEL ALTMAN

For at least a couple of decades, sneakers have held a particular fascination for urban Japanese consumers. Shoes that were merely popular in the United States, like Nike's Air Max 95 runners or Converse's One Star walkers, became iconic in Japan.

And although some models have gone out of production, they can still be had here, for a price, particularly in shops like Under Ground in the boutique-rich Tokyo neighborhood of Harajuku.

Harajuku may be somewhat familiar to tourists these days, thanks in part to the lyrics of Gwen Stefani, the pop diva, but many visitors see no more of the neighborhood than Takeshita Street, the pedestrian alley populated by crepe makers and gothic clothing shops that starts across the street from the local train station.

The real action, however, is at the other end of the street, across a broad avenue called Meiji-dori. Here the roads become narrower and knottier, and the hip stores are numerous. A few are more like stalls, nestled among low-lying apartment buildings. Others, like Under Ground, hide in basements.

You could easily miss it. Just one block past Meiji-dori, on the near left-hand corner of Jingumae, across from Jump, a store selling new sneakers in scores of funky colors, a steep staircase leads down. Once inside, it's a tight fit for a clutch of young, serious-looking customers and the racks of streetwise clothing, foam-fronted trucker hats and the all-important shoes.

On a recent visit, Under Ground had a mixture of new and vintage models on display. Prices began at 13,440 yen including tax ($118) for a pair of New Balance M574 trainers, clad in black leather with soles in green and yellow, and logos in red and silver. The most expensive shoes were a vintage pair of Nike's Supreme Dunk, a low-rise basketball shoe, in white with accents of beige leather striated in black: 58,590 yen including tax for a limited edition from several years back.

"They were very popular, so they were all gone soon at that time," said Osamu Majima, Under Ground's cheerful manager. "At that time, we got them from England or New York. But a supplier came to sell to my shop a month ago." And the rest, as they say, is sneaker history.