Japan Footwear Museum

The Japan Footwear Museum is a shoe museum in Fukuyama housing about 13,000 pairs from different periods and countries. The collection spans traditional Japanese footwear alongside international designs, showing the breadth of global shoe culture.

The museum opened in 1978 as a tribute to the centenary of the Maruyama Company, which began making wooden clogs in 1878. The foundation marks a significant moment when local shoe-making heritage was first collected and preserved formally.

The exhibits explore how footwear shapes daily routines and connects labor, sport, and craft traditions across different communities. The focus on Japanese wooden clogs reveals their role in local life and production methods.

The museum is about a five-minute walk from Matsunaga Station and easy to reach on foot. Free parking is available on-site, and the grounds are accessible during daytime hours.

The grounds feature a reconstructed worker housing building and an Ashiato Square designed by artist Taro Okamoto. These spaces offer visitors a tangible sense of how laborers lived and worked in the shoe-making industry.

Location: Fukuyama

Official opening: October 10, 1978

Website: http://footandtoy.jp

GPS coordinates: 34.45043,133.26087

Latest update: December 12, 2025 12:05