Just beside Asakusa Station’s A4 Exit (Tokyo Metro’s Asakusa Line) is the 2212 Shoes Asakusa (2212 浅草店) by whoop-de-doo (フープディドゥ), an Asakusa-based men’s shoe (and clothing) brand known for their unique craftmanship that blends in Japan’s tradition and culture into their craft. Having their location near the iconic cultural treasure of Tokyo that is the Kaminarimon gate just resembles 2212 Asakusa’s commitment to incorporating culture and tradition into their work, which shines through in their collections.
Now 2212 Shoes is not all about shoes and clothing apparel, they actually also serve uniquely crafted alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails and mocktails that imbibe Asakusa’s “Japanese” style. They also carefully curate and exhibit their items on display as well as actual art (sometimes including paintings), technically making this store an art space-slash-non alcoholic bar as well.
2212 Shoes in Asakusa is one of whopp-de-doo’s concept stores. The whoop-de-doo brand was launched in 1987, and the brand has since been known for their stylish Made-in-Japan footwear for the discerning man, with each pair crafted with superior quality leather in various forms and patterns and finished off with skilled handwork techniques and meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that each pair has that distinct and sophisticated character.
If you are that discerning man you should check out 2212 Asakusa and check out their footwear, from casual Vibram-soled sneakers designed for comfort to high-quality business shoes (salaryman shoes) and even boots, for that sleek and luxurious look. They have ready-to-wear shoes that are more on the lesser-priced side (around ¥10,000 to ¥30,000), and they also have bespoke footwear that are custom-made and hand-sewn by shoe craftsmen in Asakusa (they have a shoe concierge who will take care of your foot measurement and make certain that the pair perfectly fits) – for a price (around a whopping ¥50,000 to ¥100,000 or even more).
Aside from shoes they also sell KOSMO shirts that feature iconic spots in Asakusa (and this means these designs are exclusively sold in their Asakusa store), as well as the usual shoe-care necessities such as shoe brushes, polish, and bags. They also have traditional items such as traditional Japanese slippers, hand-painted coin purses, and handcrafted Japanese fans which I think are really uniquely designed and well-made, making these a perfect souvenir.
2212 Shoes Asakusa store / 2212 浅草店 / whoop-de-doo Asakusa is located at 1F & 2F Kaminarimon Hikari Building, 2-19-6 Kaminarimon, Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-0034. To go there, simply take the Tokyo Metro to Asakusa Station (Asakusa Line), go to Exit A4 – take a right turn and you’ll find it. They are open from 10AM to 7PM.
Visit their website at 2212shoes.com. You may also contact them at TEL 03-3847-2212 (you can even find 2212 in their phone number – that’s a cool touch 🙂 ).
Location Map
