Along with cans of matcha powder, Monchhichi blind bins and bagfuls of 7-Eleven snacks, trend-chasing vacationers in Tokyo are squeezing another merchandise into their suitcases dwelling—and sending waves by way of the footwear business.
The must-have memento is a pair of sneakers from Onitsuka Tiger, the 76-year-old Japanese shoe model. The thin-soled trainers, which have had a loyal fanbase for many years, are experiencing a recent burst of recognition due to an increase in international journey to Japan and the following web hype for all issues Japanese. Onitsuka introduced in almost 66 billion Yen ($434 million) in internet gross sales for the primary half of 2025, a 50 p.c enhance from the identical interval a 12 months in the past, based on its newest earnings report. Investors are lining up behind the model’s guardian firm, Asics Corp., whose shares greater than tripled over the 2 years ended Oct. 27. Shares of rival Adidas AG elevated 13 p.c over the identical interval, whereas Nike Inc. shares fell 30 p.c. Asics didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Foot Race
Videos about Onitsuka’s leather-based Mexico 66 and Tokuten kinds, each of which have a low profile and are available a bevy of brilliant hues, are throughout social media. The model’s flagship retailer in Tokyo’s fashion-forward Ginza district is a well-liked location for influencers to movie. There, buyers will discover a complete ground dedicated to the Mexico 66 mannequin—initially designed for athletes within the 1968 Summer Olympics and made well-known by Uma Thurman within the “Kill Bill” movies —the place they’ll customise their purchases with embroidered initials. “Next time I go to Japan, I’m going to get them in silver and gold, and also the brown,” Elise Brulotte, a content material creator from Seattle, mentioned whereas exhibiting off her white-and-black pair in a TikTok publish in June.
With the yen plunging—it reached a 38-year low in 2024—Japan has change into a magnet for international tourism lately. Shopping within the nation seems like a steal for a lot of international vacationers, particularly in comparison with within the US, the place related merchandise are far costlier. Jeff Yamazaki, an influencer from Los Angeles targeted on males’s style, not too long ago posted about the place to search out Onitsuka Tigers in Tokyo. In an interview, he says he paid about $95 for a pair of Mexico 66s when he visited Japan earlier this 12 months. The identical pair would have value greater than double that if ordered on-line and shipped to the US.
While inflation and the Trump administration’s tariffs have made many client merchandise costlier lately, Onitsuka’s greater US costs are additionally a results of the model closing its North American retail areas in 2023. At the time, Asics mentioned the choice was made to enhance profitability.
Now Onitsuka is eyeing an American return, as quickly as 2027, based on an investor presentation this summer time. Jessica Ramírez, co-founder of the Consumer Collective, a retail adviser, says the sneaker model’s US hiatus has enabled it to change into extra of a luxurious product. Onitsuka’s forthcoming collaboration with Versace and its presentation at Milan Fashion Week earlier this 12 months additionally sign a transfer towards the next worth level on the worldwide stage.
The current rise in recognition of Adidas’ Samba and Gazelle kinds, with their equally low profiles and flat soles, helped Onitsuka Tigers take off, says Brendan Dunne, senior director of buyer group and engagement at StockX, a web-based resale platform that primarily offers in footwear. Onitsuka is “catching the right moment of the trend when it comes to slim sneakers,” he says, including that the model presents customers a much less ubiquitous various to Adidas whereas additionally tapping into the Y2K nostalgia presently sweeping style.
Loulou Algosaibi, a social media supervisor in Winchester, England, who posted about her Onitsuka Tigers on TikTok in June, says she not too long ago made the change after 5 years of loyalty to Adidas. “They hit that sweet spot of timeless but cool, vintage and fresh,” she says of her Tokutens, which she purchased on the model’s flagship retailer in London on her father’s advice. “Gen Z could wear them, a millennial or my mom could wear them, and they would all look supercool.”
By Avalon Pernell