Props - Zori

Geiko (i.e. mastered Geisha) don't wear okobo - high wooden block sandels - , instead wearing geta or zori sandals (this is an easy way to tell if you see a Geiko or a Maiko; an apprentice Geisha).

Geiko and Maiko wear different shoes along with their tabi socks . The Geiko wear a flat, flip flop looking, sandal called zori . A Maiko wears a tall platform sandal called an okobo to keep her kimono from dragging. During the summer a sandal called a geta , named for the sound it makes on the pavement, is worn without socks to accommodate warm weather.
[source: http://www.sofieloafy.net/geishamain.htm]

Technically, zori are "a thin or thick soled sandal - worn mainly by women with kimono - with a V-shaped thong which comes between the big toe and the rest of the foot and so keeps the sandal in place." Traditionally made of straw. The sole is covered with leather or cloth.


Zori (sandal)

Japanese footwear was designed so that it is easy to slip off, necessary in a country where footwear is removed before entering a house.

They are traditionally worn with tabi (i.e. toe socks).