If you are looking for large shoes in Osaka, you might want to check out Otto, a shoe shop located in Tenma, Osaka that caters for the more gaijin sized foot. I was originally introduced to this shop by good friend Beb. This shoe shop is famous amongst locals as there is a sign that reads「もうあかん、やめます！」- mou akan, yamemasu – which roughly translates from Osaka dialect to “It’s no good, we’re finished / closing down”.
As people from Osaka are always on the lookout for a bargain, this closing down sale sign has brought in a lot of customers. And it’s been doing it for the last 20 years. I guess after the first few months, people’s suspicions may have arisen. But now, this hilarious sign has become famous for being completely ridiculous.
At least it made me laugh and I even bought a pair of shoes. Now that is effective marketing!
So, if you are a gaijin with big feet and need some shoes then I would recommend Otto. I was able to find some smart shoes and sneakers and they weren’t too expensive. Here’s a map to the shop.
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