Onitsuka Tiger Unleashes Shinkansen-Inspired Sneakers in Collaboration With Terroir Tabi and West Japan Railway

Onitsuka Tiger teams up with Hyogo travel brand Terroir Tabi and West Japan Railway to launch a trio of Shinkansen bullet train-styled sneakers crafted with Kobe beef leather and traditional Hyogo craftsmanship. Showcasing homage to its hometown, the shoes draw inspiration from the 500 series, N700S, and Doctor Yellow bullet trains.

With the new series, Onitsuka Tiger is paying homage to its hometown Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, by designing the shoes after three of the shinkansen that pass through Hyogo.

The 500 series is the shiniest of the three, displaying a silver sheen with blue accent details. The N700S shoe comes in white with blue details. The third is the Doctor Yellow, which is expected to be the most sought-after design in the whole collection.

The finishing of each pair of shoes was done by artisans in Himeji, the center of the leather industry in Japan, using traditional methods. Each shoe has undergone pearl processing to give it the same glossy finish as the bullet train it portrays.

Each pair of shoes is packaged in its distinctive box and includes a tote bag in the color of the bullet train that was manufactured with the traditional Hyogo Prefecture weaving technique known as Banshu. The new sneakers will be offered at Onitsuka retailers and online on July 1 and are quite expensive, costing 44,000 yen for each pair.

Onitsuka Tiger also just dropped another iteration of its cult-favorite Mexico 66s, this time reminding sneaker fans of dainty flowers in full bloom.

The cherry blossom-themed Mexico 66’s white canvas is decked with pretty pink flowers. The signature Onitsuka Tiger stripes are in pure white, while touches of pastel pink can be found on the heel, tongue, and insole.

Onitsuka Tiger never seems to run out of ideas for creating iterations and colorways of its Mexico 66s. Just a while back, it came out with a Tiffany Blue-like pair version.

Photo: henry perks/Unsplash