I opened the door of a shoeshine shop called Brift H in the Minami-Aoyama area of Tokyo, and entered a space that had the ambience of a dignified bar. Standing in a suit behind the leather upholstered counter was Yuya Hasegawa, the 36-year-old owner of the shop and a shoeshine artisan.
He dexterously scraped the edge of a leather shoe, then removed stains before polishing the surface. It takes about one hour to finish shining a pair of shoes to make them look as clean and sparkling as a mirror.
A customer with a drink in hand was conversing with Hasegawa as he waited for his favorite shoes to be polished.
Reservations are required for this service, priced at 4,000 yen excluding tax for a pair of shoes. Repairs are made when necessary.
A 52-year-old company employee from Kanagawa Prefecture said he visits Brift H whenever a busy business period is over to have his leather shoes polished, including a pair made in Britain.
"The shoes taken care of by Hasegawa get a new lease on life," he said. "It's fun to hear him talk about shoes and I've come to think that I want to take care of my shoes while watching them change over the years."
Hasegawa said the number of customers has steadily increased since he opened the shop in 2008. He operates four shops in Tokyo and Sapporo.
"I want to change the image of shoe polishing as something finished in a short time to establish the profession as a culture."
--Heightened awareness
Amid the prevailing practice of being more casually dressed in the business world, the market for leather shoes that require shoeshine services has been dwindling. However, the number of people who want to take good care of shoes and wear them over a long period has been increasing due to reasons such as a heightened environmental awareness.
In recent years, shoeshine shops have opening in quick succession and attracting attention.
In August, the Takashimaya department store opened shoeshine counters in the men's shoes departments at its Shinjuku and Nihombashi stores in Tokyo. With shoeshine staff offering expert knowledge and skills, the service has won a high reputation. A Takashimaya staff member said many customers wanted to know how to take care of shoes.
--Doing it yourself
French luxury shoe brand Berluti occasionally holds a shoeshine event for its customers called Glacage, the French word for "polish." Participants bring along their favorite shoes and polish them along to instructions from a shoeshine artisan. The event is topped off by some Champagne.
I attended the event held in mid-September at a Berluti's store in the Ginza district of Tokyo.
"Shoe polishing is a precious time to relax and feel refreshed," said a 45-year-old company employee from Tokyo. "Shoes that shine like jewels are an important element for me to be a good person."
Olga Berluti, the fourth head of Berluti, said people should polish their shoes and give themselves a
polish. Many people are enchanted by the effect of shining shoes where it can add polish not only to the outward appearance but also to one's inner sense of self and demeanor.
--Mirror image
A high-shine finish means giving a mirror gloss to leather shoes. Brift H's Hasegawa taught me how to polish shoes to a level where my face could be reflected in the surface of the shoe.
The first thing to do is to brush off dust with a horsehair brush and remove any stains using a cleaner. Then, spread shoe cream according to the shoe color all over the shoes to add moisture and oil content.
How to polish is simple. Use a finger wrapped in a wet flannel cloth to pick up some shoe polish and start at the toe or heel of the shoe. Polish gently as if drawing small circles. Put a drop or two of water on the area to polish and continue the circular motions for ten or so seconds.
The key is to move the fingers as if stroking the shoes without using too much force.
Repeat the polishing 10 to 30 times until the shoes are polished to the level of luster you like.
To wrap up, polish the shoes quickly in a longitudinal direction with a clean damp cloth.
"The more the shoes are polished, the more the luster comes out," Hasegawa said. "I hope people can experience the impressive emotions that can come from seeing shoes full of luster."
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