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Taiwan Sandal was introduced in October 2021. The following article is still popular on this site. It is currently the most accessed article on this site, and is ranked second in Google's search rankings, which is thought to be the reason for the large influx of visitors to this site.

I believe that the number of people running in Japan wearing Taiwanese sandals is gradually increasing. At the Osaka Marathon 2023, which I ran the other day, I saw a few people wearing them. I wonder if this is due in some small way to the influence of the introduction of this site (laugh).

Well, it is now March 2023, and it is a pleasant season to run wearing sandals! After wearing them for more than a year, they have become old and worn out, so I decided to take this opportunity to make a new pair. So, I chose these Taiwanese sandals, which are sold as "for treerunning" at a Japanese distributor's store. The price is 3,800 yen.

The sandals I purchased before were of the sandal type with a Y-shaped nose strap, but this time I chose Gurkha sandal-style sandals. This time, however, I chose Gurkha sandal style sandals, which have an upper and the toes are not exposed. Therefore, they look more like shoes.

The outsole looks like this. It has grip, but it is softer than normal trail shoes, and the lugs are not that deep. In their home country of Taiwan, these sandals are not labeled as trail shoes, but are sold under the name "超彈力蚱蜢戰鞋. The literal translation is "super elastic grasshopper combat shoes," and they are probably intended for cross-country skiing. However, the people who prefer to wear Taiwanese sandals in Japan are even running on trails with regular Taiwanese sandals, so I wonder if it means they can be used more for trekking from that group. ・・・・ (laughs)

Also, the weight is extremely light, a mere 131g for a 27cm pair. All of them are made of EVA material, so they are simple specifications with no unnecessary things attached. As you would expect from sandals.

By the way, there is something like a shoelace, but it is just for decoration. Before I bought them, I thought I could adjust the tightness of the laces, but it turned out to be a fake.

• Light and comfortable
• Slightly firmer cushion and more resilient than normal Taiwanese sandals
• No "bellows" when running!
• No need to tie the shoes, so you can run as soon as you think of it
• A little narrow for my 4E feet (maybe they'll stretch with use and fit better)

Personally, I prefer these over the normal Taiwanese sandals. My biggest concern with the normal Taiwanese sandals was the softness of the midsole. I personally thought they were a little too soft. I prefer minimalist shoes and sandals such as Vibram FiveFingers and Luna Sandals, so if the midsole is too soft, it puts a lot of strain on my calves. However, when it comes to Taiwanese sandals for trekking, I quite prefer the hardness of the sole, which is acceptable. Also, the sole seems to be a little thin, but I feel like that may have an effect.

Also, when running with sandals, you may experience that the tip of the sole comes in contact with the ground and "bellows," causing your fingers to scrape the ground. I think that a good runner probably won't fall off even with sandal-type sandals, but I still fall off when I lose concentration. Just eliminating that kind of thing would make me personally happy.

And when I run, the sandals feel natural and fun to run in. They make me feel that way because of their light weight and because of their moderately soft and highly resilient midsole. Also, there's no need to tie shoelaces, so I can put them on and go running as soon as I think of it. And they don't come off, so they are well made. They can also be used as normal road shoes!

The only thing that I would have to say is that they are a little narrow for my 4E feet. With sandals, I can wear them without worrying about this, but with uppers, this problem is inevitable. However, since they are made of one-piece molded EVA, I think they will probably stretch and adapt to my feet as I use them. So I'd like to use them and run with them for a while.

Please purchase from "KOBE HONPO" who is our distributor in Japan.

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https://xiaobubenpu.stores.jp