By Zhen-Kang — 10 Oct 2026

On buying shoes in Taiwan

Life in US size 13…

Made in Taiwan and 90% off. Photo: Zhen-Kang.

Yesterday, my slippers snapped.

‘Slippers’, in Taiwanese English, are better known as ‘sandals’, ‘sliders’, or ‘slides’ in other countries.

(Confusingly in Taiwan, indoor slippers are also just called ‘slippers’. But despite routinely removing my shoes when entering homes, hotel rooms, and some other businesses in Taiwan, I rarely encounter indoor slippers. Which is a good thing, because they rarely fit my US size 13 feet.)

So back to yesterday: at 10:30am, while walking outside in my socks and slippers (a combination that’s normal in Taiwan, but which, in New Zealand, is exclusively reserved for 20th-century retirees and science teachers), I heard a snap.

I looked down and saw the strap coming loose:

Close-up of a broken upper strap on an Allbirds Sugar Slider, with “Made with Sugarcane” imprinted on the sole.

Walking barefoot’s considered wildly uncivilized in Taiwan, so luckily I made it home with the slipper narrowly intact.

Then, last night, I found a replacement pair:

Marketing image of a black G Pigeon slider. — This made-in-Taiwan brand is called G PIGEON. Yo.

This wasn’t the first time I bought shoes from a made-in-Taiwan brand.

In New Zealand, I owned three or four pairs of shoes at any one time. But right now in Taiwan, I own thirteen:

A four-shelf shoe cabinet in a Taiwanese apartment, with various types of shoes occupying 11 of 12 spaces. — The shoe cabinet next to my front door. (Two more pairs are outside.)

As someone who generally dislikes shopping, and especially dislikes clothes shopping (my wardrobe’s like Batman’s, if Batman was a monochromatic accountant), thirteen pairs of shoes somehow just kind of happened to me…

It’s generally difficult to find my size in Taiwan, so sometimes I take what I can get. I remember once, during a trip to Taichung, visiting 14 shoe stores to discover only one with anything that’d fit.

It was a Skechers outlet store, and it gave me hope I might be able to find shoes here after all. I bought two (heavily discounted) pairs that day, in case I couldn’t find some again.

One pair lasted for only a year of nightly walks, but the other pair’s still going strong. Their grippy soles have made them my go-to shoes for riding my scooter in the rain:

A pair of green Skechers Gotrail shoes in Taiwan. — Skechers Gotrails.

Next, at an outlet mall in Kaohsiung, I found some slippers to keep on my apartment balcony:

A pair of black Life8 slides in Taiwan. — Despite performing the lightest of balcony duties, the Nike slides I’d brought from New Zealand ultimately disintegrated after a couple of years’ exposure to humidity, sunlight, and air pollution. These Taiwanese Life8 slippers have been a good replacement.

Then, earlier this year, I came across a newly-opened Joniro store in southern Kaohsiung (Joniro being a new Taiwanese brand with an ergonomic focus). Unexpectedly, they had end-of-season pricing on two styles, both with size 13 in stock:

Two pairs of size 13 Joniro sneakers in Taiwan, one black and one tan. — The black Joniros on the right are my new nightly walkers.

Back in April during a day trip to Pingtung City, I then found some cheap slides to keep on my new apartment’s second balcony (officially size 12, but they fit well enough in short bursts):

A pair of cream rubber Decathlon-branded slides in Taiwan. — My new apartment is smaller than the last, but it has two balconies. In Taiwan, the balcony with the washing machine is called the ‘working balcony’, while the other’s called the ‘view balcony’ (regardless of whether there’s a view).

Finally, just last weekend at a 90% off sale in Tainan, I found these incredibly comfortable made-in-Taiwan Cityscapes. I’m told this style is very Taiwan grandpa, but I know no better and like them nonetheless:

A pair of gray Made-in-Taiwan ‘Cityscape’ sneakers. — Taiwan grandpa style.

Speaking of grandpa style, something that’s surprised me in Taiwan is that Crocs are wildly popular here. They’re a borderline-aspirational brand for young adults, and definitely not reserved for work around the house or very casual Fridays.

When I tell Taiwanese friends that—as with people who wear sandals over their socks in New Zealand—Crocs are known for an older customer base that chooses function over fashion, they don’t get it.

Because, unlike me, Crocs are very fashion-forward.

Incidentally, if you like shoes more than I do, you might enjoy my friend’s excellently-written blog shihyenshoes: Keeping it below the knee. Recommended.

Speaking of names