So many differences from country to country! "Shoe Size" in the World

Nowadays, we can do everything on the Internet from the comfort of our homes. We can buy all kinds of things from online stores. I am a runner, so I sometimes buy shoes and other items online. It is good that we can now buy shoes easily, but there are a few things to keep in mind if the shoes are from overseas.

Size units are different.

The basic premise is that foreign shoes use a different unit of measurement than we are used to. Have you ever seen a shoe size other than the one you are used to when checking shoe sizes? In Japan, centimeters are the most common unit of measurement for length, but the following units are used overseas.

U.S.A.: inch
United Kingdom: inch
Europe: centimeter
Japan: centimeter

The U.S. and the U.K. both use the unit "inch," but the length of an inch is actually slightly different. Also, both Europe and Japan use "centimeters," but since the basic concept of shoe size is different, shoes with the same number have different sizes. Therefore, care should be taken when purchasing shoes.

Different countries have different ideas about size

Even if the same unit of centimeter is used, the concept of shoe size differs between Europe and Japan, as can be seen from the difference in size development between Europe and Japan. Overseas, size basically means the size of the wooden pattern. Therefore, sizes often differ depending on the design. On the other hand, in Japan, size is set based on the idea that size = foot length. In the same way that sizes vary slightly from one shoe manufacturer to another, there are also differences in the concept of size in shoes between Japan and other countries.

Different races have different foot shapes.

In addition, foot shape differs between Japanese and Western foreigners.
More than 70% of Japanese people have a foot shape known as the Egyptian foot. The length of the thumb is the longest in Egyptian-type feet, and it becomes shorter toward the little toe. In addition, people tend to have relatively wide feet. On the other hand, the Greek foot shape is more common in the West. Greek-type feet have the longest index toes. In addition, many people have feet that are narrower than those of Japanese. This means that Western shoes may not be designed for Egyptian-type feet or wide feet. If you have feet that are more westernized, shoes made in foreign countries will probably fit you well. However, if you have Egyptian-type feet, you may have difficulty fitting into shoes made in other countries and may find them "tight" and "cramped". People with square-shaped feet, where the length of all the toes is almost equal, should also be careful, as shoes made overseas may not fit them.
A large percentage of Japanese people have wide feet, and even if the length fits perfectly, the width may be too tight.
First, we recommend that you measure whether your feet are wide or narrow. If you go to a store, they will measure various sizes such as "foot circumference" and "foot width" in addition to foot length. Based on these measurements, your feet are classified into A, B, C, D, E, 2E, 3E, 4E, F, and G. Check which type your feet belong to.
Incidentally, the closer to A, the narrower your feet are, and the closer to G, the wider they are.
The standard for Japanese people is said to be E to 2E. The standard for Westerners is said to be around B to C.
If your feet are narrow, you should have no problem wearing shoes from overseas, but if they are wide, it is better to try them on before purchasing. If you are buying shoes online, it may be safer to go to a store where you can return the shoes if the size does not fit, or to a physical store where you can try on the shoes before buying them after you find the item you want.

The discarded dimension (the playful part of the toe) is also important!

Generally speaking, the extra toe room, or "toe clearance," prevents pressure on the toes from hitting the shoe, even if the foot shifts forward a bit. The length and thickness of your foot will always change as you put on weight or walk, so when trying on a pair, make sure there is some room at the tips of your fingers. If the play area is too narrow and your fingers hit, the size may not be right.

Know the size units of each country

U.S.A. │ inch
Shoe sizes in the U.S. are measured in inches, but even if you multiply purely by 1 inch = 2.54 cm, the size will not be the same as the Japanese cm notation. For example, US/8 corresponds to JP/26cm, but the calculation results in the size "US/8 x 2.54cm = 20.32cm".
This is because the "reference point" for measuring size is different from that in Japan. In the U.S., sizes are not measured from the "heel to toe," which is familiar in Japan, but rather from the "largest kids' size," which is set at 0cm, and size measurements begin from there.

United Kingdom │ inch
Like shoes in the U.S., shoes in the U.K. are also described in inches. Also, the reference point for measuring size is taken from the "maximum kid's size". However, compared to the U.S., British sizes are smaller in inches. For example, a men's 26cm shoe would be a 7.5 in the UK, but an 8 in the US.

Europe │ cm
European sizes are measured in centimeters, as in Japan. However, the same "cm" is used, but the scale of "1cm" is different from that of Japan. The Japanese "0.67cm" is 2/3 of a centimeter, or "1cm" for EU sizes. For example, EU size 42 is calculated in Japanese centimeter notation as "42 x 0.67 = 28.14cm".
Furthermore, the EU size is indicated in numbers that include the play portion of the toe (the portion from the tip of the toe to the tip of the shoe). Since the toe play portion is set at approximately 2 cm, EU size 42 corresponds to 26.0 cm when converted to the Japanese size notation.

Japan │ cm
Shoes in Japan are described in centimeters, each 0.5 cm. In fact, countries that use this unit of measurement are rare in the world. Furthermore, since Japanese size notation is based on the JIS standard, the standard is different from the centimeter units used in other countries. It can be said that the size notation we are familiar with is a uniquely Japanese unit

men's

ladies

How was it? Even with the same "inch" and "cm," sizes differ so much from country to country. In this age of the Internet, we will have more and more opportunities to shop without worrying about national borders. We hope you will keep this in mind.

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