Insole and foot care specialty store opens in Kagoshima, providing care space for feet
Yuhei Kawahara, the owner
It has been a month and a half since F.I.T., a specialty store for foot care and insoles, opened near the Jigenji Post Office in Taniyama Chuo, Kagoshima City.
Yuhei Kawahara, the owner, worked as a physical therapist for 20 years in orthopedic surgery and other hospitals. While engaged in injury treatment and rehabilitation, he studied insole design and shoe fitting. He said: “The foot care I have been involved in should help people in need. I thought, ‘Why not create a space specializing in foot care.’” He opened the store on January 24.
The store is equipped with a training studio with large mirrors. Counseling is provided by appointment in advance. The first session includes counseling on food problems, causes of pain, and shoe fitting (4,000 yen for the first session), and then a menu is proposed.
The menu includes custom-made insoles (from 18,000 yen) using the Iritani-system soleplate, which adjusts the sole in 0.1 mm increments, and training (4,500 yen for adults, 3,000 yen for students). He also offers a foot care menu for ingrown toenails, bunions, to name a few. “By approaching the cause of the problem, I provide care that helps prevent a recurrence,” he says.
Kawahara added: “When the feet fail, the body tries to correct it with the knees and pelvis, which causes pain in other parts of the body. I hope to inform people that the cause is in the feet.”
Opening hours: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Closed on Sundays and holidays. One parking space is available.