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Onitsuka Tiger’s retro sneakers have become a Tokyo shopping priority for overseas visitors, driving annual sales growth of 36% in the six months through June. Revenue reached ¥89.5 billion, about $574 million, as tourists queued outside stores, received timed-entry tickets and bought multiple pairs for themselves and people back home. The weak yen has made the Japanese luxury label cheaper than in overseas markets, while its vintage designs and lighter feel distinguish it from thick-soled rivals.

Details

• Price advantage: Gerson Balza, his wife Lucy and their 23-year-old twin daughters bought four pairs during a Japan trip, paying $100 each—about half what they expected at home in Michigan. Polish brothers Paweł and Michał Klimczuk said two Ginza purchases cost less than one pair of high-end sneakers in Poland.
• Comfort appeal: Michaela Castelo, visiting from the Philippines with Samantha Luz, bought two pairs, including the Delegation EX, a modern version of shoes worn by Japanese athletes in the 1960s. Castelo called them very comfortable, echoing demand for slimmer, lighter footwear.
• Cultural tailwind: Uma Thurman wore yellow-and-black Onitsuka Tigers in the 2003 film “Kill Bill: Volume 1,” sustaining the model’s pop-culture visibility. Sho Kawano, head of retail and consumer research at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo, said younger shoppers’ enthusiasm for Y2K fashion has provided a further tailwind.
• Group results: Asics posted $3.4 billion in overall sales for the same period, while profit rose about 50%. The Japanese footwear group spans performance running shoes and comfortable casual “dad sneakers,” with Onitsuka Tiger’s tourist-driven growth adding momentum.
• Prestige strategy: Kawano said Asics has limited store openings and resisted discounts to protect Onitsuka Tiger’s luxury cachet. The U.S. currently has no dedicated stores after Asics retrenched there in 2023. In June, Asics announced plans to place the brand in a wholly owned subsidiary to speed decision-making.
• Cross-border demand: Nurdan and Metin Ertogan, visiting from Turkey, bought a pair for Nurdan’s friend in Istanbul, where she said the shoes can be difficult to find. Metin said Onitsuka Tiger designs stand apart from the similar-looking offerings of Nike and Adidas.

Background

The brand began with a basketball shoe. Kihachiro Onitsuka founded the business that became Asics in Kobe in 1949 after returning home following World War II. Its first Tiger shoes appeared in 1950 and were later worn by Japanese Olympic athletes. In 1962, Phil Knight secured an agreement to distribute Onitsuka Tigers in the U.S., sending $50 to seal the deal.

What’s next

A new Onitsuka Tiger megastore is scheduled to open in Los Angeles early next year, marking the announced return of a dedicated retail presence after Asics’ 2023 U.S. retrenchment.