Relay Column: Thinking About Basketball Shoes – Seeing Society From the Ground Up (Atsuya Matsumoto)

I can't remember exactly when I started taking interest in my own clothes and fashion. In my case, it all started with a pair of sneakers my parents bought for me over a decade ago. Upon joining the basketball club in junior high school, I went to a large sports store near my house to buy basketball shoes, or what we commonly refer to as 'baskes.' That was when I stumbled upon these shoes. I remember they were a pair of red, white and black high-top Nike shoes. However, these shoes were not basketball shoes but sneakers sold as casual shoes.

Back when I knew very little about basketball, the heavy-duty leather of these shoes seemed many times more appealing than the latest model made of mesh. As far as I was concerned, I chose these shoes primarily to play basketball in the gymnasium, but the young store staff explained to me like this.

Back then, I didn't quite understand what this explanation meant. Why would shoes that were basketball shoes become sneakers? Why are they not basketball shoes now? Anyway, they were cooler than any other basketball shoes in the store, so I managed to convince my mom to buy them. Needless to say, my classmates found them strange and I was teased by the seniors.