Customer Reviews Onitsuka Tiger Tai Chi™

Awesome immediately! I purchased these right before vacation to San Fran and the redwoods. We did miles of walking around each day, and my feet were only minimally sore; more from the concrete than anything else. Because they have a completely flat sole, ones weight is not thrown off and the body retains its natural posture when walking. I will never get another athletic shoe that has a thick sole. These are wonderful. There is no Arch support, which is wonderful. My own arch can do what it was designed to do, flex.

Wearing these shoes for crossfit. Had no problem when running or lifting weight. Love this shoes. By the way, Zappos shipped them very fast!

These are a great minimalist shoe! I use them for CrossFit workouts and I have to say that I like them better than Inov-8s. Great stability, very lightweight, and excellent ground feel. Awesome for lifting.

I love these shoes! The combination of a great fit, sleek style, and comfort make these shoes wonderful for casual wear! However, these have very little arch support. You may need to buy an insert if you need support. Overall wonderful shoes!

It's really comfortable. Not great arch support, but enough to be comfortable.

These shoes are great. Very form fitting and comfortable. Stood all day in these and my feet didn't hurt at all. Very light weight, was surprised actually when i first picked them up. Ive told plenty of people to buy Onitsukas no matter what style, but by far the best pair are the tai chi's.

Besides it fitting half size larger, the look and feel of these are great. I'm doing an exchange for size. Definitely keeping these.

These shoes are very comfortable, and are definitely good if you are looking for a minimalist shoe. My only complaints are the lack of ventilation on the uppers, and the width at the front of the foot. On my other pair of Tigers, I fit well with a 7, so that is waht I got. But I probably should have ordered a 7.5. I still think they make stretch out a little more.

The shoe fits perfectly and they arrived within three (3) days, as promised. I am very happy to have picked this type of Tai Chi shoe for participation in Tai Chi classes. This shoe was true to size and width, in which I was concerned. Due to being flat soled, the shoe has an excellent arch support. Thanking you in advance.

Got these shoes about 6 months ago for the gym. I wanted a shoe that wasn't big and squishy beneath my foot for deadlifts and squats and had a level platform. They've definitely lived up to that. After a few weeks of walking to classes they broke in nicely and are some of the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. Some padding in the sole is noticeable, maybe about 1mm. I have been wearing them barefoot as well as with socks and the laces allow for an adjustment in size so both styles are comfortable. My only complaint is the lack of vents. I have debated trying to poke a bunch of holes in them. Wearing them barefoot with no ventilation these things make my feet sweat a lot and have ended up very stinky. Be warned.

Very comfortable soft shoe. I typically wear a type of minimalist-moccasin and got these for cold-damp weather and they work great. It did take several tries before finding the right size (too big).

I was looking for a 'minimalist' style running shoe. I wanted something that looked like a regular shoe but had no heel lift or arch support and a flexible sole. These shoes fit the bill. They are well made and reasonably priced. Also, Zappos shipping was really quick and the price for shipping (free) was great.

I originally ordered a size 10, since that's what I've been wearing for most of my shoes. They turned out to be a bit large for me. So I returned the shoes, got store credit, and reordered a 9.5 size. The shoes arrived the next day! The new shoes fit just fine. This is good service by Zappos! Although these shoes are meant for Tai Chi, I plan on wearing them for running. They are recommended by some people who use the Pose Method of running because of the lack of heel (you're supposed to land on the ball of your foot) and the low weight. One concern I have is that these shoes won't breathe as well as other shoes meant for running. Also, since the shoes are white, they'll get really dirty with my running, but that's okay, I don't mind. I would have preferred having the option of a black shoe, but I don't think it's available any more.

I bought a pair of these because I'd been searching for something more minimal in the way of footwear. I'd become so accustomed to wearing shoes that have a slight heel, I think it was affecting my balance, and not in a good way. I think these are the perfect antidote. I'll be using them to workout, sure, but they're very comfortable, so I'm sure they'll be fine as casual shoes too. They don't have support, but they're not designed for that, so it's not a flaw. When I bought these, I was a bit worried about the width. I've been wearing wider width shoes in recent years, but these go on easily, and are very comfortable, so the medium is fine for me. I'm giving serious consideration to ordering a second pair of these, I know they'll be getting a lot of wear. I'd been wearing the Merrell Arabesque for years, but was getting a bit tired of them, so these make for a nice change.

I was looking for the best shoes suited for martial mrts. After looking through some of my martial arts magazines, I realized that Asics has been worn by the best like Bruce Lee, for the last 40 years, so I chose these and I've been so happy with them. They are flexible and built to last. I wear them indoors on a carpeted area when I practice. They are awesome. And thank you Zappos, for fast and free shipping. You guys are the best.

These shoes are so cool! They weigh next 2 nothing and they are super stylish as well they look great with any kind of pant! Very comfortable and cool!

Perfect Tai Chi Shoe - I have been playing Tai Chi for 16 years now and this is the best shoe I have ever tried. It is the best shoe for establishing an excellent root and is great for turns and twists.

Mexico 66's that I bought with these fit perfect at 6.5 (half size smaller than I usually go). These are still about a half size long. Feel slightly narrow on my wide feet but that is to be expected. Depending on how these stretch I'd get sixes next time. At the bottom of the heel it is cut in pretty far so I instantly had wear above the sole on the heel. Really soft leather though and a nice looking shoe.

These are very stylish shoes. They are nice shoes for a night out on the town. They took a little getting used to. The sole is slimmer than I am used to. They are not for using athletically. They should be used only as a pure fashion statement.

Ever so slightly disappointed - I had high expectations and was just slightly disappointed. I bought the shoes for doing tai chi, and in one practice space, (a karate studio with carpeted matting) they have too much tread for good turns. In another space, with no carpet, they are fine. A bit clunkier than they look in the picture.

I usually love Asics, but these shoes did not work for me. I bought them for martial arts (Kenpo Karate) but they are certainly not designed for any other martial art besides Tai Chi. The rubber grip is just too much traction for pivoting and shuffling footwork. They are very comfortable, but seem flimsy and do not breathe well. Thankfully Zappos makes returns easy!

These are great "styling" shoes. People complain that there is no support and that rough trails and stones hurt their feet. Really? These and the Mexico 66 were designed for wood, clay, grasstex, volcanic ash, or compacted dirt tracks! These are not shoes to run through the woods, or run on uneven surfaces, or run on your heels! In the day these were referred to as "flats". You ran on the balls of your feet. not heel and toe for 10k. These and the Mexico 66's I have are great on the indoor track I use, and look good with jeans. As I recall, they didn't last all that long (like none ever lasted through the indoor season) but you got another pair. If you're looking for a long distance, run through the mud shoe...this ain't it. Resign yourself to the multi-lacing system, gel-filled, stabilized, multi-colored, water and sweat weeping nylon "silly boots". You know, the kind I see on folks running through town, against the traffic, while checking their huge black watches, wearing sweat bands in the rain-snow-blazing heat and running in place at a stop light. These and the Mexico 66 harken back to a simpler era...they're great (and Uma Thurman ran and jumped through a lot of blood and body parts in Yellow Kill Bill Tai Chi's...and looked great doing it too!).

Continues to be a great shoe. Thin sole, flat, flexible. It is relatively narrow, so it gives mild wrap-around arch support through lacing up rather than from a physical arch. Gum rubber-like outsole has excellent traction on wood floors and other indoor surfaces. So, at base, this is an excellent, albeit somewhat narrow, all-around gym shoe. This can be a good all-around martial arts shoe...depending on your particular activity. The relative stickiness of the sole will be welcome by many, but probably not by those whose practice involves a lot of fast, weighted turns or spins. That said, I have worn this model (in white) for years. I do several hours of tai chi a day, almost all outside, and often wear the shoes as general use shoes throughout the day. I like the quasi-minimalist feel. For me, the shoe is not quite in the "barefoot" category because it is a bit stiffer than, say, my Merrell Trail Gloves 2, and its toe box is pretty standard width, not as ample as the Merrell's or similar barefoot shoes. Because I wear these for outdoor practice and general daily use, the gum sole could wear out quickly, especially at the heel. My solution has been to proactively use Shoe Goo across the rear of the sole, in the heel area, and to repeat as needed to prevent the heel area from wearing down. As you can see, I must like the feel of these shoes a lot to go through this degree of maintenance! I have generally rotated three pairs through mostly daily use. With the help of a Shoe Goo touch-up every month or two overnight, the shoes last several years. (Sorry for the length of this review, but I thought more detail might be useful to some!) Last comment or two: The leather uppers are soft and will conform to your foot and don't seem to wear out. However, they can get a bit warm in a warm climate. I find it helpful to air out the shoes after each use to minimize odor. In sum, this is a useful MA shoe or gym shoe. It is like a low cut version of a classic wrestling or boxing shoe. I have a fairly narrow foot, so the narrow last suits me fine; for others, perhaps not so. The sole is perhaps too sticky for a lot of indoor spinning turns. It also be a bit slippery on wet outdoor surfaces. Last, although I tend to dress in varying degrees of drab, I really like the color of these shoes -- and, for what it's worth, they are, with one difference, the shoes Uma Thurman wore in the Kill Bill in the Crazy 88 restaurant scene. I did notice that hers had a different outsole pattern and perhaps different rubber composition. Now, if I could only find that Hatori Hanzo sword.

The Tiger by Asics is remarkably light and flexible; just what one would want for Tai Chi. This shoe provides the security that is needed by preventing one's feet from slipping on a wood practice floor yet allows quick weight transfer and foot alignment when changing positions. The shoe was a bit grippy at first but improved with continued wear.