The Best Walking Shoes for your Japan Trip

By Skywing Knights // November 19, 2025

I recently went on a 2 week trip to Japan and boy let me tell you, it was a doozy! On average, we were walking close to 20,000 steps a day, often even more than that! And our feet HURT by the end of it. However, knowing this would likely be the case, I went out of my way before the trip to buy 3 pairs of shoes to test which held up the best for those grueling walking days that I had coming up in Japan. And there were definitely some that stood out while others fell short.

The three shoes I tested were from Brooks, Vivaia, and Thursday Boots. I’ll list the exact models in each individual review. However, I imagine that each brand’s unique shoes would do similarly well unless otherwise specified. I also broke in each of the shoes lightly before going to Japan, and I recommend that you do the same, whatever the shoes you decide on.

Read on to see how each of them did and what I recommend for your trip to Japan!

Brooks – Women’s Glycerin GTS 22

Price Point – About $165

Shop their Store on Amazon Here

I wore the Women’s Glycerin GTS 22, a go-to for me, having previously owned the Glycerin GTS 21. These are running shoes and when I say they are made for walking as much as they are running, I’m not lying. I also want to make it clear that these are not just any ‘sneakers’ you may find at a common shoe store  – these are specially designed shoes. And out of all three of these shoes, they performed the best. The pain of walking was staved off for the longest while I was in these. They might not be the most ‘stylish’ shoe of the bunch, but they were the BEST for my trip to Japan.

While I wore the Women’s Glycerin GTS 22, I recommend you go to your local running shoe store to be fitted for your own pair of Brooks shoes. Different models address different foot types and needs, so this pair specifically addressed mine (I tend to lean more into the outer sides of my feet). So while this is a good pair, ultimately, I recommend the brand above the specific model and urge you to get shoes by Brooks that specifically address your foot concerns (because we’re all different!). Definitely a winner though, hands down.

Vivaia – Water-Repellent Round-Toe Walking Flats (Claire Walker)

Price Point – About $149

Shop their Store on Amazon Here

I was STUNNED by these. While they did not beat out the Brooks (and let’s not kid ourselves – a running shoe was going to take the thrown), I was VERY surprised by how well these held up. While I didn’t last as long as I did in the Brooks shoes, I did walk around Ikebukuro all day in these and my feet were not sore by the end of that eventful day. I tried them on other days too and found that for the most part, I held up pretty well.

After awhile, they do tend to hurt, I won’t lie. However, the massaging insoles REALLY help here. I was surprised at how many times I would just slip my foot out of my shoe just a little to rub my soles over the insoles. It felt so good! As for their ‘water-proofness’, solid A. I ended up walking in these in a downpour while my friend walked around in sneakers. My feet were nice and dry while her shoes became soggy. Seriously, these shoes were a surprise all around. So while I wouldn’t recommend this be your only shoe, I do recommend it be ONE of your shoes at the very least. I look forward to trying them out again for my next trip!

Also as a side note – I LOVE these shoes for daily wear. They’ve quickly become one of my favorites!

Thursday Boots – Fatale | Black

Price Point – About $198

Shop the Thursday Boot Store on Amazon Here

Perhaps… the most disappointing of the list as they were the most expensive. I got the Fatale in Black, which are and I quote “A striking silhouette built for long days on your feet”. Striking silhouette? Yes. Built for long days on your feet? Not in Japan. I had heard a lot of great things about Thursday Boots. However, I was sorely disappointed during my trip, literally and figuratively. My feet ended up being in pain around 2 PM each day that I wore these and the pain just got worse. I will say that I did buy both the Fatale and the Coda to test which would be better before the trip and the Fatale was significantly more comfortable than the Coda. However, they were not comfortable enough to endure the endless walking that is Japan.

The boots do have their plusses – they are incredibly stylish and on low impact days, they passed. The fact that I could move in them and not feel as though they were stiff or cutting into me was good. But they could not do hiking up hills well and oftentimes rocks got stuck in the grooves of the bottoms. Ultimately, they could not provide the support that I needed for the most grueling days and they struggled even on days when I was sitting more frequently. Would I recommend them for Japan? If you have to wear boots… yes. But if you don’t have to wear boots, hard pass.

Remedies in Japan

Japan makes you walk. No if’s ands or buts. You’re going to walk a lot in Japan. And nothing beats out a solid pair of running shoes, and the Brooks Glycerin GTS 22 proves that by a long shot. However, I get it, looking stylish on your trip can feel important too! Not to mention, it’s always a good idea to change out the shoes you wear every couple of days when you’re walking a lot, so having a good back up or ‘swap shoe’ like the Vivaia is a great plan to have. Save your boots, like the Thursdays, for days where you absolutely have to be stylish and are willing to sacrifice comfort (keep these days to a minimum). Additionally, if you can, bring a pair of Dr. Scholls inserts for those days when you truly need some extra comfort. For the days where nothing is helping, keep in mind these remedies/things that will ease the pain.

Remedies:

1. Avoid salt in your foods (including rice balls/onigiri), which can make the bloating in your feet worse.
2. Look for 休足時間 (Kyūsoku Jikan) in Drug Stores or Kusuri ya (薬屋). These are “cooling sheets” for your legs and feet. I bought like… 8 packs of them just for myself while there. Use them every night to help relieve the tension in your feet.
3. Buy Epson Salt (エプソムソルト / Epusomu soruto or 硫酸マグネシウム / Ryūsan maguneshiumu) while there and give yourself a mini foot bath where you’re staying in the evening.
4. Keep your feet elevated at night. This will help reduce any swelling.
5. Go to an onsen or bath house and relax in the baths! Just note, not all of them require reservations, but some do. Some also do not accept individuals with tattoos. So do your research on these before you go, just so you know where you can go if you’re really in need of a break!
   1. Bonus note – some onsen have specific foot baths and can offer foot massages!
   2. Also, an even better idea is to work in a visit to a nice onsen during your trip. I recommend doing this sometime in the middle of your trip to help relieve any built up pain!

In Summary

Of course, the best remedy is always going to be choosing the right footwear though. So pick your footwear for Japan carefully! And hopefully, this review will be helpful when choosing what shoes you bring with you on your next trip!

Till next time,

~Skywing