Funky slippers

The intimate relationship that Japanese people have with their workplace can be symbolized by the ritual of taking the shoes of on the entry to the office/lab area. It is the same custom that they have at home, and I was shocked to find that they also cultivate it at work!

There are shelves for changing shoes into slippers at the lab door, or in the entry area of the separate building where I work at. The same slippers are worn at the office, in the instrument room, and in the Safety Level P2 lab (whatever that means in Japan)! The lab where you can work with very dangerous materials! You wear the same slippers as for the office...

There are plastic, regular slippers for visitors, but many people who work in the lab have their own, personalised slippers. Since luxury brands are very popular with Japanese, I have even seen girly slippers with YSL logo on them! How about Chanel, Verace. Christian Lacroix, Armani, Calvin Klein or Prada slippers?

If you see some reasonably priced slippers in funky design / colours (but no designer logos) that I could wear instead of the general made-of-plastic visitors slippers to make my presence here more personal, please get them for me as a Christmas present!

Funky slippers desperately needed!