Moonstar

Last year we visited the Moonstar factory in Kurume, Japan.
Moonstar have been making shoes in Kurume since 1873. The area is historically known for rubber manufacturing.
Suzuki-san & Natsuko-san generously spent the day with us introducing us to their team and showing us how the shoes are made. I really appreciated their time & kindness, considering we are such a little stockist for them.
Moonstar is one of the largest shoe manufacturers in Japan. They make a huge range of shoes including kids shoes & tabi boots (they became famous because they were the first to make these with rubber soles).
They make shoes using a mix of real rubber (natural sap from the rubber tree) & some synthetic rubber mixed in too - I learnt this is necessary for strength and durability & there are different ratios for different components of the shoes. I loved seeing the rubber blocks and the kilns that the shoes are baked in.

We just have a couple sizes left now - these are really expensive for us to get to NZ, so this is likely the last of the Moonstar shoes we will have.