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Originally, "Mita" made geta and zori sandals!

Until now, "mita sneakers" has been known all over the world as a leading sneaker store in Japan, but I feel that surprisingly few people know about its origins. When and how did "MITASUSEE CARS" start?

the national wellFive to 60 years ago, the founder, Kozaburo Mita, was manufacturing and selling geta and zori (Japanese sandals) in Nezu, Bunkyo-ku. That is the root of "MITA Sneakers.

Kozaburo Sanda also helped the Sanda family in their family business, but after some twists and turns, the family went bankrupt. In order to pay off his debts, he went around to wholesalers to collect inventory and made the sale of these products his new business. The business was a success, and after successfully paying off his debts, he rented a store in the Ameyoko district of Ueno and began doing business under the name "Mita Shoten.

For a while, "Mita Shoten" sold geta and zori sandals, but in the 1980s, when sneakers were becoming popular in Japan, we started selling sneakers at the store, and those sold much better than geta and zori sandals.

After that, sneakers became the main product line, and after the sneaker boom in the 1990s, we started collaborations and special orders after I joined the company, and so on up to the present. This is the rough flow of "mita sneakers" from its establishment to the present.

Although the shoes were originally geta or zori, not sneakers, they still have their roots in "footwear".

the national well: Yes, that's right. Hiroaki Mita, the son of Kozaburo Mita, is currently the president of "Mita Sneakers. As for the name of the store, I do not know the exact date, but it was changed from "Mita Shoten" to "Mita Sneakers," then to "Mita Sneakers," and finally to "Mita Sneakers. Currently, the official store name is "MITA Sneakers" in English, with an eye to overseas markets.

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Eiyuki Kunii worked part-time at "ABC Mart" before joining "Mita"?

What year did you join "mita sneakers"?

the national wellThe year is 1996. It is exactly 20 years this year.

In 1996, the sneaker scene was in full swing thanks to the "Air Max 95," which became a social phenomenon.

the national wellThe first day I joined "MITA Sneakers" was the day the all-black "Air Max 95," or "Total Max," went on sale. At the time, it was a big deal. However, there was a huge backlash, and from the late 1990s onward, we saw the sneaker bubble burst.

How did you start working at "mita sneakers"?

the national wellI originally wanted to be a car racer. But I eventually gave up, and when I was thinking that it was time to get a job, I happened to see a poster at "Mitasneakers" looking for a part-time job, and I applied.

Did you like or know much about sneakers from then on?

the national wellI actually didn't like or know much about sneakers at all (laughs). After I was hired by "mita sneakers," I decided that I needed to learn about sneakers in a hurry, so I worked part-time at "ABC Mart" for about a week before joining "mita sneakers" to get my head around sneakers.

That is another unexpected episode.

the national wellI also took the "Mountain Man Footgear" before "Mitasneakers". As a result, I was not hired. ...... (smiles).

Oh, I didn't know that. ...... People have history, don't they?

the national well:

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As part of merchandising, the company started special orders and collaborations.

What were you in charge of when you first started working at "Mitasneakers"?

the national wellI worked as a store staff for a while as a part time job. In the beginning, I was sometimes scolded and warned by my superiors, but Kozaburo Mita, who was the president at the time, personally supported me because I did not know what was right and what was left.

Mr. Kozaburo Mita is a man who believes that the times are always changing, and that it is better to let the young people come up with their own ideas. He also told me, "If there is something you want to do, go ahead and do it. Of course, not everything I wanted to do would be approved, but he told me secretly that it was free to say so and that if I made a mistake by doing what I thought was right, he would take care of it for me. That was very reassuring.

What happened to "MITA Sneakers" before it became famous as a pioneer of store collaborations and special orders?

the national wellI have been thinking about doing collaborations and special orders since before I started working at "mita sneakers". However, at that time, there were almost no collaborations or special orders as we know them today.

The first company I knocked on the door of was "Nike," where I started a project in 1999, the "Air Footscape," which was released in 2001 as part of the Ueno City Attack series. However, at that time, it was a joint project of not only "MITA Sneakers," but also "Yamato Footgear" and "Athlete Foot.

You have been with the company for three years, right? It seems like a very smooth transition.

the national wellNo, I didn't have a title or anything at the time, and I was working on my own (laughs). I wasn't even given a business card, so I made my own business card and went directly to the person in charge.

Later, my position changed from store staff to merchandiser, and I began to actively engage in collaborations and special orders as part of merchandising.

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There are many requests to open a stall, but I have no intention of leaving Ueno.

From the early stages of the project, were you aware of the international audience?

the national wellYes, we were aware of this. However, we do not try to match things to foreign perspectives, but rather to propose to people in Japan and overseas what we think is truly good from our own subjective viewpoints. That has not changed.

I know that "MITA Sneakers" has always been based in Ueno, but do you have any plans to open stores in other areas? I think it would not be surprising if you were invited to open a new store in a new commercial facility.

the national wellI've had an endless number of people ask me if I would like to open a store. I seriously considered it several times. But in the end, I turned them down.

We have been based in Ueno for a long time, and we have been presenting the town of Ueno in our collaborations and special orders. However, we felt that if we opened stores in other cities, our stance would become blurred.

As a result, we are glad we did not open stores in other areas and will not do so in the future.

In addition, after we started our Internet-based business, we realized that we could connect with customers all over Japan without having to open a physical store outside of Ueno. That was also significant.

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Why are you actively involved in collaborations and special orders?

I have the image of "MITASU Sneakers" releasing a lot of collaborations and special orders.

the national wellThe number varies from year to year, but taking last year as an example, we released 24 models in one year.

What is the source of your idea?

the national well: hmmm, I wonder what it is: ....... I don't have anything in particular, but the only thing I impose on myself is to never do the same thing.

When we work with New Balance, we take the time to think about what is unique to New Balance, and when we work with adidas, we think about what is unique to adidas, and then, of course, we weave in the "MITASUSEKERS" style as well. We then carefully build up the story one by one, while of course incorporating the "MITA Sneakers" character.

I don't want to use the same colors and patterns for various sports brands just because "this is the trend these days" or "this is what I'm in the mood for right now.

Why does "mita sneakers" and Mr. Kunii actively release collaborations and special orders?

the national wellCollaborations and special orders have little business benefit, to be honest. It may look glamorous to some consumers, but from the proposer's point of view, there is nothing but risk. For better or worse, it puts our name out there, and even if we are in good standing with a sports brand, if we fail, it will ruin a great opportunity. Of course, as a store, there is also the risk of inventory.

Nevertheless, we continue to do collaborations and special orders because we want more people to know the appeal of the inlines that form the basis of our products. That is the only reason.

It is meaningless to sell a lot of collaborations and special orders if the inline line does not sell well. We think so.

This year marks exactly 20 years since you joined "mita sneakers". Have you seen the sneaker scene change over such a long period of time, and what do you feel or think about it?

the national wellThe world is changing at a very fast pace, isn't it? However, I myself do not like change very much. What is important is not to "change" but to "evolve. I am doing my work without any change, but today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow is better than today. That is how we want to be.

Of course, the style of the sneaker business has changed dramatically with the advent of the Internet. However, the essence of business has not changed in any era--I was told this by Kozaburo Sanda when I joined "mita sneakers," and I still hold these words dear to my heart.

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The latest collaborations coming soon, as well as models of personal interest!

long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)

the national well:

Finally, we will introduce the collaboration models scheduled for release in the near future at "mita sneakers. In addition, Kunii himself has picked out three pairs that he is personally looking forward to. Please take a look at them as reference for your sneaker selection this summer!