A corporate history beginning with handbags <\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Being so fond of shoes, I have a collection of shoes so large that my father calls me \u201ca centipede.\u201d Naturally, I have known Kanematsu from when I was very young. You have very elegant high-quality shoes. <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Thank you very much.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- How many years have you been in business? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- We will celebrate our 70th anniversary in September. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Congratulations on your 70th anniversary! You have quite a long history! Have you always been in Ginza? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Thank you. And, yes. My grandfather was fifteen years old when he came to Tokyo from Aichi Prefecture to work as an apprentice at a relative\u2019s store, which was in Ginza. He eventually went to war but he had always strongly believed that if he were to open a store one day, it would be in no other place than Ginza. He was sure that Ginza would lead Japan in the future. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- He had foresight. Where was your first store located? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- It was in Sukiyabashi, standing in front of what is GAP today. There is no building where our store used to be, as the space has become part of the street. We moved to 4-chome afterwards, and then in 1989 (Heisei 1), the building on 6-chome was completed and that is where our main store is now. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Kanematsu is well known as a ladies\u2019 shoes store but I have heard that you originally sold purses. <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Yes, we started as a handbag store. Since it was still a time when Japan had yet to enjoy abundance, we didn\u2019t manufacture what we sell as we do today, but sold merchandise that we purchased from elsewhere. We ran our business in that manner for about ten years, and when we moved to 4-chome, we shifted our main product from handbags to shoes. Eventually, shoes came to account for 70 percent of our products. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- You have many stores in department stores as well. How many stores to you have in total? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- We have 35 stores, two of which are free-standing stores \u2013 the main store in Ginza 6-chome and our Ginza 4-chome store. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
![\"6\u4e01\u76ee\u672c\u5e97\u30d3\u30eb\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_70_01.jpg\")
<\/p>\n6-chome Main Store Building <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_70_02.jpg\")
<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_70_03.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe most comfortable shoes in town <\/h4>\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What do you find most important in making shoes? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Shoes must be comfortable to be well-designed, so we pursue comfortableness to the furthest extent that we can. Shoes are fashion items, but customers can be very demanding about how comfortable they are. No matter how pretty or how congenial to ones\u2019 taste a pair of shoes may be, people will not wear them if they cause sore feet. We analyze Japanese women\u2019s feet and develop original designs, starting with wooden shoe molds. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Everyone has different shape feet, so it must be very difficult to know what is considered \u201ccomfortable.\u201d When a salesperson recommends a pair of shoes saying, \u201cThese are outstandingly comfortable,\u201d I sometimes wonder if her standards would really suit me. But then, I am very easily convinced, so I tend to agree and say \u201cOh, they are superb! (laughs) <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Yes, it is hard to find ready-made shoes that fit perfectly, but we make very subtle adjustments at our stores. For example, we sometimes add stuffing under the insole and other times we stretch or soften the shoes where it feels tight. We adjust the shoes to fit our customer\u2019s feet before they take them home. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Such meticulous service must be well-appreciated by your customers! Could you tell me about this year\u2019s fall\/winter trends? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- This season, elegant designs will become popular again. Accessories, including fur, studs and metal parts, will brighten up your shoes. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_70_04.jpg\")
<\/div>\n![\"\u9280\u5ea7\u304b\u306d\u307e\u3064\u3000\u79cb\u51ac\u306e\u65b0\u5546\u54c1\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_70_05.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFall\/Winter 2017 collection at Ginza Kanematsu <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\nEnchanted?! High-quality durable semi-custom shoes that you will not want to take off. <\/h4>\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- You also make semi-custom shoes? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Yes. We offer them only at our Ginza 6-chome Main Store. They are very popular among customers who have a difficult time finding the right shoes. We measure our customers\u2019 feet precisely and based on advice from the shoe fitter, we have them try on different sample shoes in order to find the right size. This way, they should be able to choose shoes that better fit them. We offer two separate brands to accommodate different types of feet \u2013 \u201cMISS SLENDER\u201d for people with low insteps and \u201cWOMAN & MYSELF\u201d for those with wide feet. I would advise anyone having trouble finding the right shoes to try them. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What is the typical Japanese woman\u2019s foot shaped like? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Women these days tend to have small heels and low insteps. I would imagine that changes in lifestyles and diets are causing skeletal change. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- When I was in elementary school, my feet would grow bigger and bigger, and my mother said that girls with large feet could never be married. She would not let me wear shoes larger than 23.5cm, and my feet ceased to get larger than 23.5cm (laughs). Do you find that the size of women\u2019s feet has changed compared to the past? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Women are becoming taller, so they do have bigger feet. I would say that 23.5cm is the average size. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- You also have a brand called \u201cPOOLSIDE.\u201d Is it a diffusion brand? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Since \u201celegance\u201d is our concept for Ginza Kanematsu, we decided to produce a line of casual shoes. This is how \u201cPOOLSIDE\u201d came into being. \u201cPOOLSIDE\u201d shoes run from 10,000 yen to 15,000 yen. It has been 35 years since we first introduced this brand. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![\"\u30bb\u30df\u30aa\u30fc\u30c0\u30fc\u30b5\u30ed\u30f3\u300c\u30af\u30c1\u30e5\u30ea\u30a8\u300d\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_70_06.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSemi-custom shoes salon \u201cCouturier\u201d\u30bb\u30df\u30aa\u30fc\u30c0\u30fc\u30b5\u30ed\u30f3\u300c\u30af\u30c1\u30e5\u30ea\u30a8\u300d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"POOLSIDE\u3000\u79cb\u51ac\u306e\u65b0\u5546\u54c1\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_70_07.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPOOLSIDE FALL\/WINTER 2017 new collection <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nHoping to continue advancing forward, open to new things and unafraid of change <\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Do you feel any pressure maintaining a store in Ginza? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- I think many people think that Ginza stands for long-established stores, tradition and culture. However, it is actually undergoing very rapid change. In order to continue running a business amid such change, we must respond sensitively, so there is a sense of pressure there. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What would you say is Ginza\u2019s charm? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Traditions and culture should, of course, be preserved and passed down to future generations, but on the other hand, we should not be obsessed with their preservation. Ginza\u2019s depth lies in its openness to new things and not fearing change. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_70_08.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_68_10.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\nChisako Takashima<\/h4>\n
Violinist. Takashima started taking violin lessons from the age of 6. After a successful career abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, where she currently plays in concerts across the country. Highly noted for her character in TV and radio appearances, she has currently opened up her career to more diverse fields with an unchanged focus on her profession <\/p>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Being so fond of shoes, I have a collection of shoes so large that my father calls me \u201ca centipede.\u201d Naturally, I have known Kanematsu from when I was very young. You have very elegant high-quality shoes. <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Thank you very much.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- How many years have you been in business? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- We will celebrate our 70th anniversary in September. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Congratulations on your 70th anniversary! You have quite a long history! Have you always been in Ginza? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Thank you. And, yes. My grandfather was fifteen years old when he came to Tokyo from Aichi Prefecture to work as an apprentice at a relative\u2019s store, which was in Ginza. He eventually went to war but he had always strongly believed that if he were to open a store one day, it would be in no other place than Ginza. He was sure that Ginza would lead Japan in the future. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- He had foresight. Where was your first store located? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- It was in Sukiyabashi, standing in front of what is GAP today. There is no building where our store used to be, as the space has become part of the street. We moved to 4-chome afterwards, and then in 1989 (Heisei 1), the building on 6-chome was completed and that is where our main store is now. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Kanematsu is well known as a ladies\u2019 shoes store but I have heard that you originally sold purses. <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Yes, we started as a handbag store. Since it was still a time when Japan had yet to enjoy abundance, we didn\u2019t manufacture what we sell as we do today, but sold merchandise that we purchased from elsewhere. We ran our business in that manner for about ten years, and when we moved to 4-chome, we shifted our main product from handbags to shoes. Eventually, shoes came to account for 70 percent of our products. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- You have many stores in department stores as well. How many stores to you have in total? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- We have 35 stores, two of which are free-standing stores \u2013 the main store in Ginza 6-chome and our Ginza 4-chome store. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
6-chome Main Store Building <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe most comfortable shoes in town <\/h4>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What do you find most important in making shoes? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Shoes must be comfortable to be well-designed, so we pursue comfortableness to the furthest extent that we can. Shoes are fashion items, but customers can be very demanding about how comfortable they are. No matter how pretty or how congenial to ones\u2019 taste a pair of shoes may be, people will not wear them if they cause sore feet. We analyze Japanese women\u2019s feet and develop original designs, starting with wooden shoe molds. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Everyone has different shape feet, so it must be very difficult to know what is considered \u201ccomfortable.\u201d When a salesperson recommends a pair of shoes saying, \u201cThese are outstandingly comfortable,\u201d I sometimes wonder if her standards would really suit me. But then, I am very easily convinced, so I tend to agree and say \u201cOh, they are superb! (laughs) <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Yes, it is hard to find ready-made shoes that fit perfectly, but we make very subtle adjustments at our stores. For example, we sometimes add stuffing under the insole and other times we stretch or soften the shoes where it feels tight. We adjust the shoes to fit our customer\u2019s feet before they take them home. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Such meticulous service must be well-appreciated by your customers! Could you tell me about this year\u2019s fall\/winter trends? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- This season, elegant designs will become popular again. Accessories, including fur, studs and metal parts, will brighten up your shoes. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
Fall\/Winter 2017 collection at Ginza Kanematsu <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\nEnchanted?! High-quality durable semi-custom shoes that you will not want to take off. <\/h4>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- You also make semi-custom shoes? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Yes. We offer them only at our Ginza 6-chome Main Store. They are very popular among customers who have a difficult time finding the right shoes. We measure our customers\u2019 feet precisely and based on advice from the shoe fitter, we have them try on different sample shoes in order to find the right size. This way, they should be able to choose shoes that better fit them. We offer two separate brands to accommodate different types of feet \u2013 \u201cMISS SLENDER\u201d for people with low insteps and \u201cWOMAN & MYSELF\u201d for those with wide feet. I would advise anyone having trouble finding the right shoes to try them. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What is the typical Japanese woman\u2019s foot shaped like? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Women these days tend to have small heels and low insteps. I would imagine that changes in lifestyles and diets are causing skeletal change. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- When I was in elementary school, my feet would grow bigger and bigger, and my mother said that girls with large feet could never be married. She would not let me wear shoes larger than 23.5cm, and my feet ceased to get larger than 23.5cm (laughs). Do you find that the size of women\u2019s feet has changed compared to the past? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Women are becoming taller, so they do have bigger feet. I would say that 23.5cm is the average size. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- You also have a brand called \u201cPOOLSIDE.\u201d Is it a diffusion brand? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Since \u201celegance\u201d is our concept for Ginza Kanematsu, we decided to produce a line of casual shoes. This is how \u201cPOOLSIDE\u201d came into being. \u201cPOOLSIDE\u201d shoes run from 10,000 yen to 15,000 yen. It has been 35 years since we first introduced this brand. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\n
Semi-custom shoes salon \u201cCouturier\u201d\u30bb\u30df\u30aa\u30fc\u30c0\u30fc\u30b5\u30ed\u30f3\u300c\u30af\u30c1\u30e5\u30ea\u30a8\u300d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\nPOOLSIDE FALL\/WINTER 2017 new collection <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nHoping to continue advancing forward, open to new things and unafraid of change <\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Do you feel any pressure maintaining a store in Ginza? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- I think many people think that Ginza stands for long-established stores, tradition and culture. However, it is actually undergoing very rapid change. In order to continue running a business amid such change, we must respond sensitively, so there is a sense of pressure there. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What would you say is Ginza\u2019s charm? <\/dd>\n
- Kanematsu<\/dt>\n
- Traditions and culture should, of course, be preserved and passed down to future generations, but on the other hand, we should not be obsessed with their preservation. Ginza\u2019s depth lies in its openness to new things and not fearing change. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\n\n
Chisako Takashima<\/h4>\n
Violinist. Takashima started taking violin lessons from the age of 6. After a successful career abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, where she currently plays in concerts across the country. Highly noted for her character in TV and radio appearances, she has currently opened up her career to more diverse fields with an unchanged focus on her profession <\/p>\n
![\"\u3081\u3056\u307e\u3057\u30af\u30e9\u30b7\u30c3\u30af\u30b9](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_cd_mezamashi.jpg\")
<\/p>\n