Geta (footwear)

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a geta, side view

Geta are traditional Japanese sandals. They are stilted to keep the hem of a kimono above the ground. They are worn with tabi socks. Geta makes the person's feet stay out of the mud.

Usually Japanese people wear them with a casual kimono rather than formal one. It is common to wear them with bare feet when a yukata is worn. Also they are worn with western clothes. Today, in Japan, most people rarely wear kimono and rarely wear geta. One reason for this is most gravel roads were changed to asphalt roads for Tokyo Olympic. Since 1995, the number of people who wear geta casually increased because of the pretty looks and sounds. In addition, the popularity of geta grew little by little through trend for yukata. At one time, Japanese people thought that it is hard to walk with geta and sometimes get injured by hanao. Hanao is a rope which is set between the big toe and second toe when geta are worn. However, because of efforts by yukata makers and footwear makers, Japanese people are starting to like to wear geta again.