Okay, getting new shoes is not the kind of thing most (normal) people will write about in their weblogs, but in my case, it is at least somewhat noteworthy.

At shoe stores thoughout Japan, you see, it is widely thought that 27 cm is the largest size that anyone could ever need. For those of you in the United States, 27 cm is roughly a size 10. But I wear a size 11.5 or 12 (which is either 28.5 cm or 29 cm in Japan). Don’t even bother asking about larger sizes in Japan—trust me, clerks will look at you like you’re some kind of mutant. In a best-case scenario, the clerk will tell you that the shoes you want would have to be ordered from the United States, which could take weeks.

(Actually, there are a few “king and tall” stores that carry shoes in my size, but none near where I live—and none that are inexpensive.)

So why bother with the middle man? When I decided to buy shoes recently, I went to Lands’ End, where I found a good selection of shoes that satisfied my size requirement and my budget. My new shoes cost less than half what they would have cost had I purchased them locally. Better still, they arrived only four days after I placed my order, which was amazingly fast.

If you happen to be a big-footed gaijin in Japan, I recommend Lands’ End for shoes.

(For anyone who is curious, no, I don’t walk across tatami with my shoes on, but the tatami mats in the bedroom provided the best contrast with the shoes, that’s all. Rest assured that the shoes were clean when the picture was taken.)