Hirosaki footwear store in front of the station "Kuroishiya" (Hirosaki Station, TEL 0172-32-4983) is gearing up for the current, closed to the prospect December.

The shop has around 5,000 boots and sports shoes and leather shoes. Manabu Sudo, the owner, says, "We often handle boots due to demand for snow and agricultural work, but in the past it was a store specializing in Japanese footwear such as geta and sandals."

The opening of business was started after the war by Mr. Omitsuki from Kuroishi. Omi lost his husband in World War II and returned from Tokyo to become a Kuroishi street vendor. It was said that they sold geta and other items. When business began to get on track, we opened a store in Hirosaki. The name of the store was changed to "Kuroishiya" because it was familiar to me as "Kuroishi no Katcha (Mr. Tsugaru dialect").

One of the business partners, Mr. Masazo, the father of Gaku, took over the Kuroishiya from Mr. Omi in 1981. Omi's only daughter was married to a fruit and vegetable store in Hachioji, Tokyo, and was unable to return to Aomori. According to Seiko, Masazo was a long-sought independence because his dream was to have his own store.

After that, Omi continued making clogs for geta and passed away in July 2014. Seiko said, "I was cheerful and energetic. I have a belief that "customers won't let it go." I was looking back."

The store moved to the current location next to the two when the arcade was removed in 1998. In recent years, deterioration has been a problem. Gaku says, “The water pipe ruptured twice this year alone. We decided to close the store and started to announce it little by little.”

In the past, people from Hirosaki ordered snow boots from Tokyo, and mass orders for sandals from medical facilities. Gaku-san said, “Large chain stores are opening stores and the number of customers who purchase on the Internet is increasing.

The company does not set a specific closing date, but plans to slowly close it while checking inventory and the status of closing work. All products are currently on sale for 20% off or more (when purchasing 2,000 yen). Gaku says, "Because we are lowering the price of what we originally offer cheaply, some products may cost more than half the price," he said.

Business hours are from 9:00 to 18:00.